Through Another's Eyes
by Joaquina
Summary: Unable to aquire employment in the Twin Cities Minnesota Rebecca Castillo is presented with an opportunity to work forensics in Miami Dade crime lab. The story is told through Rebecca's POV. This is my first attempt at writing FF
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters of CSI: Miami only the original characters Rebecca Castillo and others that may be introduced later in the story. I make no money from this weird hobby and am poor full time students so don't sue.

Chapter One: The Miami Connection

A few months before graduation is when the job search begins to intensify. All my classmates, including myself began to scramble to find permanent jobs in our field. Since I chose to double major in both Computer Forensics and Biology I thought this was going to be a piece of cake. I had already completed the internship program and was currently working part time at the BCA (Bureau of Criminal Apprehension) crime lab so I was under the impression that they were going to hire me on full time. Unfortunately they did not have the budget to hire me even though my supervisor wanted to keep me on very badly. However forensics can be a small world. My boss knew experts all over the country and he suggested to me that I would need to consider relocating if I wanted to land a good position and gain more experience. When we talked about it I told him relocating, although it was a pain in the ass, would be considered seriously for the right job. He then told me he would see what he could do.

Two weeks later he told me about a position at the Miami Dade crime lab in Florida. They needed a Computer Forensics Examiner who also had a biology background. Since I had double majored in both fields he referred me. My boss also emailed to the head of the Miami Dade crime lab my resume so they were willing to talk to me. I have only been to Miami once. It was when I took this cruise back in '91. At that time I was not impressed with Miami and never considered visiting much less to live there. However, I wanted to keep an open mind so I agreed to the interview. The interview consisted of the BCA and Miami Dade setting up a videoconference. The time and date were set so I made sure I wore something professional that day when I reported in. I believe this interview had to be one of the most intense ones I have ever experienced. It was because of who did the interviewing.

I arrive to the conference room; take a seat in the needed chair so they would send the video feed down to Miami. I made sure I had paper so I could take any needed notes. My boss then gets the video feed up and running and before I knew it I see a very pale, red headed man dressed in a dark suit who looked between 45 to 50 years old. The feed was very clear and I could not help but notice how blue his eyes were. They were very bright and very intense. I began to feel nervous right away after the video of my interviewer popped up. Bless my boss; he made sure I had water to help with the dry throat problem one gets when nervous. My boss then came around and sat right next to me so he could be in the feed to talk to my interviewer. I move over out of the shot so he can speak.

"Hey Horatio, how's it going down there in ole Miami Dade?" He asks. The other man smiles but he showed no teeth.

"John," He paused. "Busy as usual, the crime never stops in Miami and we never close." John chuckles and shakes his head.

"Its been nuts here too. We're running a huge case involving the MS13 so everyone has been pulling a lot of overtime. I am really gonna be sorry to loose Rebecca after she graduates." Lieutenant Caine tilts his head and asks. His eyes were looking out of the monitor intensely.

"Tell me more about your prize intern." My boss responded to his request.

"Well Horatio I gotta tell ya, I fought like hell to be able to keep her here but the money is just not in the budget and as I told you over the phone since I can't keep her I wanted her to end up where she would get the right training and exposure. I also want to get her into a lab that would help advance her career. You were the first crime lab I could think of because I know you would bring her up right and take proper care of her." Personally I thought what he said was a little weird. It was kind of too personal sounding. Lieutenant Caine then replies.

"We do need a Computer Forensics specialist and I appreciate you thinking of us here at Miami Dade. Let me talk to her John." My boss then nods his head.

"Sure thing Horatio, but be gentle with her okay? Rebecca will be worth adding to your team and the expense of relocating her." Although it was good to hear nice things about you, John's words just made me more nervous. My boss then motions for me to slide my chair into the path of the video feed. I get my chair into position and I sit ramrod straight in the chair as I look at the monitor. My image was being transmitted down to Miami as his was being transmitted to me. I attempt to smile but I knew it probably looked like a nervous smile. The Lieutenant speaks first.

"Good morning, thank you for agreeing to the interview." He hesitates just a bit.

"I'm Lieutenant Horatio Caine and I head the Miami Dade crime lab." I nod my head acknowledging his introduction.

"Hello Lieutenant Caine, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me. I'm Rebecca Castillo, its nice to meet you." Oh that sounded kind of stupid. I look down at my paper wishing I could calm my nerves. As he spoke I looked back up at the screen.

"Ms Castillo your Hispanic?" I nod my head yes. "Do you happen to be fluent in Spanish?" Again I nod my head yes and answer.

"I have studied the language academically for the past four years. This is because I needed to gain command of Spanish so I could communicate with my friends and colleagues in Juarez Mexico. I visit the area every two years." Lieutenant Caine tilts his head with a look of concentration on his face.

"John tells me that you worked with Homicide in Juarez in a somewhat unofficial capacity. He pauses. "Ms Castillo, please tell me about that."

So he wants to hear about my adventures in Juarez. I quickly concentrate of how I wanted to word the information.

"Um." I begin. "Through Marco, a good friend of mine, I met his girlfriend Carla De La Vega who is a CSI supervisor for the Homicide division of the Juarez police department. We became close friends so she extended professional courtesy of allowing me to job shadow their process of handling the homicides. I was able to experience how they process the evidence and decedent from the field to autopsy along with assessing their computer network, equipment and software. Fortunately I was able to use my computer experience and expertise to help advise the update of their computer equipment and I provided training for the use of it after they updated their equipment. At this time I am also involved with setting up a crime database between El Paso Texas and Juarez so they can access vehicle information, CODIS and AFIS type databases. Both departments are unable to gain the needed information from the other."

I take a moment to gather my thoughts. "For example, if a citizen of El Paso using an vehicle with American license plates commits a crime in Juarez the Juarez officials have no way of gathering information about the El Paso criminal and vehicle, in retrospect El Paso cannot access any history of Juarez criminals. I was able to help both departments start communicating and set up the system. At this time they are almost done with the project and it should be online soon" My mouth was so dry that I had to reach for the water and take a drink. As I took a drink I waited for Lieutenant Caine to comment.

"Ms Castillo." He exhibits another pause. He really likes to use my name a lot and pause in the middle of a sentence. "So you have some field experience not only with the BCA." Another of his freak pauses. "But in Juarez." I acknowledge the information.

"That is correct." I then add. "But my field experience is very limited. I work mostly in the lab with computer forensics." Lieutenant Caine then looks down at a piece of paper to make some notes. After he is done writing he looks back up at me.

"Although the position that I need filled is Computer Forensics Specialist I will need the person to cross train in the field as a CSI Level I." He pauses yet again. "Ms Castillo, since you have studied Biology and have worked at the BCA in both trace and DNA you're a good candidate for the cross training."

My stomach drops. I have never been a big fan of fieldwork because I prefer to work in the lab. I love all the technology that I get to play with. Fieldwork is very different than straight lab work and it could be dangerous. I am not thrilled with that. I could feel my nervousness leave me as I prepare to ask him my question. I place my forearms on the table, leaning forward, with my fingers interlaced. I attempted to relax my posture but was still very much engaged in the conversation.

"Lieutenant Caine, can you please tell me how much of this job would involve fieldwork and why is it required for the Computer Forensics Specialist to be cross trained as a CSI?" Tilting his head again he takes his hand and caresses his thumb across his lower lip. He concentrates for a few moments then informs me.

"Ms Castillo, the plan is to have 50 percent of their time spent in the field and 50 percent spent in the lab." He pauses. "My crime lab now requires that all the lab employees also qualify as CSI's." I digest this information. He stares at me with that intimidating look of his waiting for an answer. I then realize the huge opportunity that the cross training would provide. I lock my gaze with the one coming from the monitor.

"I like the fact that I would gain even more experience with the cross training." I could live with it because I would not be strictly doing fieldwork. "With the extended opportunities of this position I would consider it seriously if I were offered it." The Lieutenant smiles but it looked more like a smirk to me.

"I'll have the contract offer faxed to you so you can take a look at it." He pauses. "Ms Castillo, I am seriously considering you for this position and if you are serious as well I can arrange for the county to fly you down here so you can meet with the team and see the facility." He writes another note on his paper. "If it seems to be a good fit then we can negotiate with you about the position and get started on the hiring process." He got serious real fast. My head was swimming.

"That would be fine Lieutenant Caine. Please let me know as soon as you can the dates you would like for me to come to Miami so I can coordinate it with my class schedule and work schedule."

The Lieutenant then gives me his cell number and stated I was to call him if I had any questions or concerns. It occurred to me later that it was odd that he gave me his cell number instead of his office number. I admit not much concentration went into the discrepancy and I did not comment on it. The interview then ended for me as I promise to call if I need to. John and Lieutenant Caine then take a few moments to catch up on personal talk as I walk out of the conference room to give them some privacy.

A few minuets later my boss walks out of the conference room to talk to me.

"Horatio was pretty interested in you for the job but now he is serious about getting you down there." He smiles. "Good job on the interview. I know Horatio can be kind of intimidating but you handled it well."

As I replayed the interview in my mind I noticed that the Lieutenant had some strange quirks and yes, he was intimidating but not in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. It was also not the first time I have had to deal with intimidating people.

"I admit I was very nervous but after a while I was able to relax a bit. I guess he has that affect on people huh?" John chuckles.

"Yep, that's for sure. You should see him interrogate a suspect. Horatio may have some strange habits but they work for him real well. He is the most dedicated man I know. Horatio is a good man and he will take good care of you."

I liked my boss's vote of confidence about his colleague and obvious friend. His words made me feel a little more at ease about the strange Lieutenant with the unusual first name and whose physical attributes looked so out of place for sunny Miami. I trusted my boss referred me to someone whom he trusted himself so I took his referral of me to his colleague in Miami as serious.

As I waited for the next step in the Miami adventure I thought long and hard about relocating there. If it were to happen would I actually want to do this? I would be leaving behind my family and friends but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Maybe it would not be worth it. There was no way of truly knowing until I went down there and got a feel for the people that I would be working with. It would only take me about a day of interacting with Lieutenant Caine's team for me to know if this was a good move for me. Being able to understand a person, of what they are about, is an ability I inherited from my mother. I am able to read people accurately in a small amount of time. This will help me out immensely when I meet the Miami team. I already knew instinctively that working for the red headed Lieutenant was going to be a challenge but a challenge that was going to be good for me.

Several weeks later while running analysis on a DNA sample the lab phone rings. I answer it.

"Castillo here." The receptionist tells me.

"Hi Rebecca, I have a Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the line for you." I let her know.

"Thanks Shelly, go ahead and put him through please." I hear the click of the line being put though.

"Lieutenant Caine, this is Rebecca Castillo." I made sure the transfer took.

"Ms Castillo," He pauses "I have the dates set up in which you can come down to Miami. I have arranged it to happen during your semester break and also have cleared it though John. The dates seem okay with him."

He gives me the dates in which he had arranged for me to come down there. While he was talking I was scrambling at my workstation to find my date book. Without it I am lost as to what is happening when. I find it and start flipping pages to the month he wants me to visit Miami.

"Um." I finally find the month and see that the dates he requested my presence has no conflict with anything else. "Those dates would be fine. I have no other conflicts." He confers.

"Good, I am glad to hear the dates work for you. I will overnight the plane tickets and hotel reservations today." Nice that they would put me up somewhere and pay for it. I wonder where the hotel was as I have been doing a lot of research on Miami and there are some nasty parts of the city for sure. It also occurred to me that he did not mention a rental car. How was I to get around without a vehicle? So I asked him.

"Should I take care of a rental car myself?"

"No, that will not be necessary." The pause. "I don't expect you to be able to get around a city you don't know. Use the cab service to the hotel and you will be reimbursed later okay?" I answer.

"That's fine." He continues.

"Call me after you arrive at the hotel and we can work out the details of getting you over to the lab."

I agree to the plan and the conversation ends. All business he was but that was to be expected. After I hung up the phone and thought about the conversation I noticed that the Lieutenant had a very nice voice. For some reason it was easier to listen to him than to have to look at him. I had to admit to myself that his voice just did not match how I remembered he looked.

Now that it was confirmed that I would 'visit' Miami for the next stage of the hiring process I had to remind everyone that this was not a done deal yet. There was a lot to consider and I was in no way ready to accept the position. That did not stop my co-workers from calling me Miss Miami. They had already written me off as moving down there. It was probably because of lot of Minnesotans dream about moving somewhere sunny and warm. My boss prepared me that they would probably make me an offer while I was down there. Apparently he had been talking to Lieutenant Caine about my visit and it would seem that they are very serious about hiring me. I guess my visit down there is to help me feel more comfortable with what I was getting into. I vowed to myself I was not going to let anyone browbeat me into a decision. If the situation did not feel right I was on the first plane back to Minnesota. My boss understood this and told me not to worry that what ever I decided was fine. I appreciated all the effort he did with finding me the job and giving me such a good reference I just wanted to make sure that if it did not work out that it would not be held against me. John made sure I understood that whatever I decided to do in Miami it was okay with him. He also requested that if I needed to talk that I should call him. My boss has always been very supportive of me and he is a wonderful mentor. I learned a lot from him. Knowledge I will end up bringing with me to Miami.

Miami international was a zoo. Busy as ever and I was somewhat intimidated by the large crowds of people. It also occurred to me it was spring break making the airport even busier. All nationalities were milling about, truly making Miami an international city. Before I came down here I purchased a map of the city and studied it. I compared the hotel address with the address of the crime lab and found them not to be too far apart. As I walked out of the airport to hail a cab the first thing I noticed was how hot and humid the weather was. My chest felt tight because breathing was a little bit hard for me with my asthma. For a few moments I fretted about the climate being bad for my asthma. I remembered how hard it is for me to breathe when the weather in Minnesota would go hot and humid. The air not moving and heavy with moisture was hard on my asthma. I stood for a few more moments taking in some deep breaths trying to calm myself down. My breathing got easier as I took time to calm myself.

I then hailed a cab and gave the driver the address to the hotel. The hotel, although modest, was clean and practical. There will be no spa treatments to be had here. After I checked in I freshened up attempting to control the sweating that began right after I stepped out of the air-conditioned airport. Not use to the hot humid weather I knew that I would have to deal with the climate change. I changed into a pair of black slacks and light green short sleeve blouse. Professional looking but comfortable enough for me to deal with the weather issue and still look good was what I was after. I then called Lieutenant Caine letting him know I had arrived in Miami and now was at the hotel. He relayed to me that he would meet me in the lobby in about 15 minutes. Gathering my purse I made sure I had not only my ID and money but that I included my inhaler, which contains albuterol. I did not want to have an asthma attack and not have it available. Before putting it in my purse I took two hits hoping the medicine would keep my airway open. I was nervous enough I did not need my emotions hindering my breathing. I immediately felt relief after I breathed in the albuterol.

15 minutes later I walked down to the lobby area and entered it. Lieutenant Caine was a very easy man to spot in a crowd because of his vivid red hair. He looked taller than I expected him to be and I am not sure what gave me the impression that he would be smaller. It was a weird thought that I put out of my mind right away as I walked up to him.

"Good Afternoon Lieutenant Caine." I greeted him. He extended his hand for a handshake. I extend my hand for him to shake and his hand engulfed mine. His hand was pale with a light dusting of freckles and red hair. Typical complexion of a red head I surmised.

"Welcome to Miami Ms Castillo." He responded. He dropped the handshake and gestured to the front doorway. I nod my head in acknowledgement keeping eye contact with his.

"Thank you Lieutenant." I then begin moving toward the front doors. With him a few steps behind me.

As I approached the door he stepped in front of me and opened the door for me. I guess chivalry is not dead in Miami. As I step out into the hot humidness of Miami I immediately felt that blanket of heavy moisture bear down on me. Instinctively I took in a deeper breath to compensate. Lieutenant Caine points to a large gray Hummer.

"My vehicle is over there." I rose an eyebrow not expecting to see such an elaborate car, truck or whatever that thing was. I looked at him with the surprise still registered on my face.

"A Hummer?" I smile slightly not believing what I was seeing. "Isn't that, um, rather," What was I trying to say anyway? "Rather, um, large?" He chuckles.

"My CSI's need an all terrain vehicle to be able to travel out to the glades if need be. The department has four of them for our use." I shake my head in wonderment.

"All the BCA has are Ford vans and trucks and a rather large RV. But then we don't have to travel to an out of the way place. The Bemidji BCA probably has jeeps for when they have to go way up north crime scenes." I began walking toward the monster vehicle and I then noticed the Miami Dade Crime Scene Investigation logo on the side door of the Hummer.

Lieutenant Caine then unlocks the door with the fob; I open the door and commence to climb up into it. I noticed that he had no trouble getting in where I had to use the handrail to pull myself up into the cab. It was kind of awkward for me to get into the cab because I am a short person, only five foot three inches tall. He looked to be almost 6 feet so of course he would have no trouble getting into the Hummer. He starts up the vehicle immediately putting on the air conditioner. Sweet relief was felt as the cool air washed over me. I closed my eyes and had a small smile on my face as the powerful air conditioner cooled me down.

"The weather will take some getting use to." The Lieutenant informs me. I open my eyes and look at him.

"That it will. I went to boot camp in Orlando and was stationed in Hawaii for 4 years. So I am no stranger to the tropics." He nods his head then puts the Hummer in gear and backs out of the parking spot. I clipped the seatbelt into place.

It was a short drive back to the crime lab. He drove smoothly and precisely moving the huge Hummer though traffic easily. Pulling into a parking space in front of the most unique building I had ever seen he puts the Hummer in park and shuts off the engine.

"You ready to meet the team?" He asks me.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I replied. He opens his door to get out of the Hummer and I do the same. When I got closer to the door again, he steps in front of me to open the huge glass door for me. I heard about the southern charm manners thing but I place the Lieutenant's accent from the northeast. I bet my townhouse that he is originally from New York so I was a bit confused with his obvious out of date manners. Maybe it's a generation thing with him. He would probably be old enough to be included of the generation that would still hold a door open for a lady.

We stop at the reception desk and he arranges for me to get a visitors badge. I was to wear it clipped to my lapel so people can identify me not as an employee. As I watched people moving about I noticed they had ID badges clipped either to their belts or lapels. It would make sense that everyone has to have ID displayed for security proposes. I noticed right away that the building architecture was very uniquely designed. Almost like art deco period of the 20's. All angles with lots of steel and glass the Miami sun would shine though brightly making the areas appear larger. The floor was glossy and dark which was a contrast to all the glass and light. Since I am a big fan of different and unique architecture I looked around in awe suddenly wanting to take the time to explore this unique building. Lieutenant Caine taps me on the shoulder. I quickly look in his direction.

"Come on this way. I got the team waiting in the conference room." He then began to lead me down the hallway.

I followed him to a conference room that was surrounded by floor to ceiling glass windows and a glass door. As we got nearer to the conference room I saw several people seated around an oblong table. Everyone at the table except for the beautiful black woman looked younger than me. The table was glass and the chairs were these ergonomic high tech things. People were talking and relaxing as they waited for us. Suddenly getting nervous I hesitate as the Lieutenant reaches in front of me to open the door. I walk in as he follows me.

"I won't take too much of your time as I know you are all busy." Several people laugh lightly knowing what he stated was true. He gestured for me to take a seat in the nearest ergonomic chair so I take it.

"This is Rebecca Castillo; she is my top candidate for the Computer Forensics Specialist position." Everybody looks at my direction. Some just looked at me, a few people attempted to smile my way.

"Starting tomorrow I will have Ms Castillo take turns shadowing each of you for the next three days." He pauses

"I would appreciate it if you would show her the nuances of your jobs and answer any and all questions she may have."

Lieutenant Caine then began to introduce everyone. He points at the first person to his right who had medium length brown hair and warm brown eyes.

"This is CSI Ryan Wolf. He is the newest member of our team." He then points to a blond woman sitting next to him.

"CSI Calleigh Duquesne, my ballistics expert." The blond gives me a warm smile. My impression was that she was the friendly sort. The Lieutenant then points to a Hispanic looking man sitting at the end of the table.

"CSI Eric Delko, my underwater recovery expert along with DNA and trace." Delko nods his head in acknowledgement and smiles showing perfect white teeth. Next was a beautiful Hispanic woman with light brown hair and dark kind brown eyes.

"CSI Natalia Boa Vista just transferred in from working with the Feds." Sitting between Natalia and me was a beautiful black woman with exotic looking eyes.

"And this is Dr Alexx Woods our ME." She reaches out and shakes my hand and says to me.

"Nice to meet you Rebecca." I nod my head in agreement and smile. I was too overwhelmed to answer her.

Lieutenant Caine continues as he passes to Ryan a stack of papers. He takes one then passes it on to Calleigh and eventually the last paper makes it to me.

"What I handed out is Ms Castillo's schedule of who she will be working with and when." He pauses. "I took in account of the recent cases being worked on in the attempt to give her the most variety. I also want her to get a feel for working with each of you and vise versa for all of you." I was looking down at the schedule and noticed that it was packed with assignments and divided out in time intervals. It was one of the most anal schedules I have ever seen created. I also noticed that he had me scheduled in for fieldwork. I was not aware that going out to a crime scene could be scheduled. I told myself "Just roll with it Rebecca." The Lieutenant speaks so I look up from reading the schedule.

"Anyone have any questions or conflicts with the schedule?" Calleigh speaks up.

"Horatio, I am due in court on Thursday when I am scheduled to have Rebecca in Ballistics." Lieutenant Caine sucks his teeth lightly in concentration tucking in his chin.

"Not a problem Calleigh. If need be I will take that time slot." He pauses. "Keep me posted if the case does indeed go to court that day." Calleigh answers in her southern drawl.

"Sure thing handsome." I quickly look back down at my paper because I could not believe what I just heard. Never in a million years would I say that to my boss. It was just too familiar and bordered the line of inappropriate. Actually back home it would probably be considered an inappropriate response but since I do not know the culture here or how these people interact I could not judge. No one seemed to react what she said anyway.

"Does anyone else have any questions or conflicts?" He addressed the rest. No one else spoke up so he continued. "Remember people the schedule is not cut in stone and can be adjusted if need be okay?" People agreed by nodding their heads or murmuring a response. "Alright then," He stated. "Were done here for now." The CSI's and ME then began to file out of the room.

Some shook my hand in welcome saying things like "Look forward to working with you." All in all they seem to be a nice group of people and I could tell they were very intelligent.

Lieutenant Caine escorts me to his office. I felt like I was in a huge glass cage. I could see a stairway leading down to a lower level. On that lower level I could see several labs with all sorts of equipment. He sits behind his desk and gestures for me to take a seat across from him. He had me fill out paperwork signing forms to exclude Miami Dade of any liability in case I get hurt during my 'job interview'. Geeze, I hope I don't get shot while I am at a crime scene.

Then I was given the full tour of the CSI Miami Dade labs and facility. It was impressive. Loaded with state of the art equipment I realized that I would have to learn how to use several that did not look familiar to me. The BCA also has some awesome equipment and seemed to technically up to date with Miami Dade. The technical part of my brain cried out with the want to use and experiment with the equipment. I probably looked star struck to the Lieutenant as he showed me around. It was embarrassing enough he had to get my attention back to him as my mind wandered off somewhere else in techno land. I could not wait to see what software and databases were used here. That would come soon enough. Since the workday was coming to a close there was not enough time to show me Ballistics or the morgue. I was sure these would present themselves in time. After all I was scheduled time to be with the people that worked in these areas anyway.

Tomorrow would start the real job interview. Of course I would be evaluating this whole situation as much as they will be evaluating me. My decision not only involved the offer being actually made but I wanted my decision to be made with an informed mind. The more information about what it would be like to work here at CSI Miami Dade then the more comfortable I would be in making my decision if I was to accept an offer or not. I have to admit I have never had a job interview where I actually would be job shadowing a team for three days. I looked forward to the challenge and opened myself up for the unknown. The Lieutenant then drove me back to my hotel and stated he would pick me up at 8am. After spending most of my day with Lieutenant Caine I knew that he was a man I could respect. I also knew that if I worked for him he would get more than 100 percent from me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters of CSI: Miami only the original characters Rebecca Castillo and others that may be introduced later in the story. I make no money from this weird hobby and am poor full time students so don't sue.

Chapter Two: Working With the Team

At 8am sharp Lieutenant Caine stood in the lobby waiting for me. He wore a dark gray suit with a plum colored shirt. With the climate the way it is I personally could not be wearing such dark colors much less with a suit coat. Light and airy is what I need and is what I had on. Black slacks with a cornflower blue colored three quarter sleeve blouse are what I sported. I hurried out to the lobby after helping myself to the hotels continental breakfast, which included a bagel with cream cheese and coffee with cream. I carried my half empty cup of coffee with me but then quickly regretted the decision. I should not of had coffee this morning. Already feeling keyed up I did not need the caffeine boost. I walk up to the Lieutenant.

"Good Morning Lieutenant Caine." I greet him. He turns in my direction and addresses me.

Good Morning Ms Castillo, did you have breakfast?" I answer him.

"Yes I did. Good ole continental breakfast complements of the hotel." I smile because I was in a good mood. He clucks shaking his head.

"That's not a proper breakfast Ms Castillo." I look at him as he continues. "Now eggs with bacon, toast and coffee, that's a good breakfast." Never one to be able to eat that heavy in the morning the thought nauseated me.

"And is this what you had this morning Lieutenant?" I threw back at him. He gives me that smirk that I think is suppose to be a smile.

"Well not exactly." He begins walking to the doorway and I do to. "I had toast and coffee from the list."

So it would seem do as I say not as I do would be a motto for him. We walk over to the departmental Hummer as he unlocks the doors with the fob. He slips in easily into the vehicle while I have to haul myself up into the cab. As I did this I could feel my pants sliding a little bit down to my hips. Damn, I must have lost a little bit of weight since I bought these slacks. They sure are comfortable though and that's what I am after. I wanted to look professional but be able to move about as the job demands.

After we arrive at headquarters the Lieutenant arranges for me to receive a temporary ID badge allowing me full access to the facilities. I am to display this badge at all times. He then takes me over to the trace lab because I am scheduled to work with Natalia Boa Vista for my first two hours. The Lieutenant takes a few moments to speak with Natalia probably wanting an update on the current case she's working on. He then leaves us to work. I look around recognizing most of the equipment used for trace analysis. A clear box with lots of envelopes of evidence is stacked full ready to be analyzed. It looked that Natalia will have a lot of work to do and is now probably a little bit behind. Trace analysis is always behind so I offered.

"How about you show me your procedure for running these and then I can lend you a hand with those." I point to the pile of evidence. Natalia smiles probably glad for the help.

"Sure Rebecca that would be great. We have been so swamped lately."

She proceeds to show me how things are run so I could assist with the work, under her supervision. Her direction is very informative and kind, not condescending. We soon developed a nice rhythm of running the evidence while sharing the space. The pile soon started to get smaller as both of us continued to work. Small talk was exchanged as we learned a little bit about each other. Natalia was easy going and a pleasure to work with.

Time went by quickly and it was a quarter to 10 when Eric entered the lab.

"Natalia, H wants me to take Rebecca on this callout." My back was to him so I did not see him enter. Natalia answers him.

"Geeze Eric I'm supposed to have her for 15 more minutes." She jokes with him.

"Look, I am almost caught up because of her." I turn around and look at both of them.

"Hi Rebecca." Eric greets me. "Your gonna accompany me to this crime scene I got called to." I answer him.

"Sure Eric, what ever you say." Natalia says to me.

"Thanks for your help Rebecca. I really appreciate it. Now I am mostly caught up." I smile as I answer her.

"No problem Natalia, I was glad to be of help to you." I move to join Eric in leaving the lab. She answers.

"Look forward to working with you again." I nod my head.

"Thanks, me too." Eric and I step out of the lab and begin walking to the elevators. He asks me.

"You ready for some fieldwork?" I grin putting on my best face.

"Of course, I did sign all the paperwork on liability and all." My grin gets wider. "In case I get shot out there all you have to do is have the body sent back to Minnesota." He looked at me funny but then chuckled.

"You're not going to get shot out there Rebecca." He lets me know. "Would it make you feel more comfortable if I get you some Kevlar?" I think he is serious so I back peddle.

"Oh no. That is not necessary. Um, I'm fine. Really." I felt embarrassed. Then I hear that familiar baritone voice of Lieutenant Caine.

"Ms Castillo do you have concerns about your safety?" I could feel my face heat up. I did not even hear him approach. He must walk like a cat. I turn to face him.

"Um, no Lieutenant. I was just. Um. Making a joke I guess." He tilts his head and studies me for a moment.

"Okay then. Everything will be fine. Eric will take good care of you." I nod my head in agreement too embarrassed to reply.

The elevator door opens and the three of us step inside. Eric pressed the button B for basement I assumed. The Lieutenant informs Eric that he and 'Mr. Wolf' are taking a call out over at the Gables and if he needed any help to call Calleigh. I stay quiet making no more comments.

Again I had to haul myself up into the cab of a gianormous Hummer. At least I am getting my exercise. Eric drives us out to the crime scene. After about two turns I was lost and did not know where we were. However after we arrived it did not look like a good part of town. Eric parks the Hummer right next to the yellow tape marking off the crime scene. We get out of the vehicle and I follow Eric as he walks up to a very large balding man wearing a light brown suit, hands on his hips.

"Hey Frank." Eric turns slightly so he faced both of us. "This is Rebecca Castillo. She is Horatio's candidate for the Computer Forensics position. Rebecca this is Detective Frank Tripp"

The large man looked down at me. He had to be over 6 feet tall. Frank had a rather intense hard look about his face but he had large blue green eyes. It was his eyes that put me at ease. He holds out his hand for me to shake it.

"Nice to meet you Rebecca." I placed his accent more from the southwest like in Texas. I take his hand to shake and his very large hand totally encompasses my small one. Using a firm grip he shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you too Detective Tripp." He gets this somewhat disgusted look on his face.

"You can call me Frank." Eric pipes up as I drop the handshake

"But don't call him Francis." Then Eric laughs as Frank sighs in disgust.

"You ready to get to work smartass? I'm bakin' out here and I wanna get out of here before my bald head burns." I chuckled at that. I could not help it. Frank is too funny.

"Sure thing Frank." Eric replies. "Show me where the body is."

Frank then leads us to the alleyway where a young dark haired man was laying face down with a bullet hole in the back of his head. It looked execution style to me having seen similar crime scenes in Juarez and back home. I took visual inventory of everything before me. Eric took the camera and began taking pictures. He asks me.

"Tell me what you think happened here Rebecca." So its test time now. He wants to see what I know, what I can come up with.

"Well." I begin as I crouch down by the body and I point to the back of the head. "The bullet entry in the back of the head along with the dirt caked on the knees of his pants tells me this guy was executed. Maybe gang related" Eric was crouching on the other side of the body so we were at eye level.

"Good eye Rebecca." He continues, "What does the dirt on his knees have to do with it being an execution?" I inform him as I stand up taking a step back from the body to demonstrate.

"Because whoever shot him made the victim kneel on the ground with his back to him so he could cleanly shoot him in the back of the head instantly killing him." I continue. "I have seen a lot of this in Juarez. Too many executions happened after a large drug bust." I continued more. "It gives the shooter a sense of power making the victim kneel down in front of them, plus making it easier to kill him. Waste less bullets that way." Oh Lord, I probably said too much. Why did I have to go on and on about it? I hear Frank chuckle. He had this smile on his face or was it a grimace?

"She nailed it Delko. The victim is some gangbanger that got himself executed all right." Eric stands back up as Frank points to a young Hispanic teen who was standing by a patrolman. "He is the witness and saw the whole thing so I am gonna take him back to headquarters for his statement." Eric replies.

"Okay Frank, Rebecca and I will finish up here. Alexx should be arriving soon." With that said Frank gives me a smile then walks away to take care of business. Eric asks me.

"You saw crime scenes in Juarez? Did you work down there or something?" I replied.

"I have friends down there in Homicide. When my friend, who is a CSI supervisor, learned that I studied in forensics she invited me to come and observe the process of how they do things down in Mexico. I could not turn down the opportunity so I accompanied her." I continued. "I visit Juarez about every two years and I spend much of my vacation with the CSI's there. I can't say I worked in Juarez but I help in an non-official capacity." Eric whistled lightly shaking his head.

"That's some dedication Rebecca. I would never spend my vacations doing CSI work." At least he was honest.

Eric is real good at teaching. His style is relaxed and he has the desire to share information. It was easy to develop an easygoing relationship with him and I knew within time I could probably gain his respect. Eric certainly had my respect, as he was patient enough to answer all my questions. He is a very knowledgeable CSI too. As we gathered the evidence the coroner van drove up. It was to be the ME to examine and arrange to have the body transported to the morgue. Dr. Alexx Woods stepped out of the van and approached Eric and I. She looks to me and asks.

"Hello Rebecca, is Eric treating you alright?" I smile nod in greeting.

"Hello yourself Dr. Woods, Eric is treating me just fine. He is a very knowledgeable CSI and I have been picking his brain." She smiles showing perfect white teeth.

"Don't pick his brain too much. Eric needs all that he can get." She chuckles then continues. "Honey, you can call me Alexx okay?" I nod in agreement then she addresses Eric. "Eric, what do we have here?" Eric complains.

"What, no hello for me Alexx?" Alexx replies somewhat sarcastically.

"I am so sorry honey. Hello Eric." She finishes.

"That's better Alexx and Hello." He then gestures to the body. "Gangbang shooting here. He was shot execution style and Frank took a witness back to the station for his statement." Alexx nodded her head acknowledging Eric's information.

"Okay Eric, thank you, I'll get busy getting the body back to the morgue." Eric then informs Alexx.

"Rebecca and I are pretty much finished here. We are gonna head back to the lab okay?" Alexx waves her hand in dismissal.

"No problem. I'll see you both later." With that we take the kits and walk back to the Hummer. Eric then drives us back to the lab.

The schedule showed that I was to shadow Ryan Wolf next. After Eric and I got back to the labs I helped him unload the evidence and set up the lab to run them. Ryan was on a callout with Lieutenant Caine so I offered to help Eric with the evidence. Eric's cell phone rang and he answered.

"Hey H, What's up?" He listens to what the Lieutenant has to say then states.

"No problem H, I'll take care of it." I looked at Eric hoping he would elaborate what the call was about. He then looked to me and explained.

"Horatio wants me to keep you until they get back to the lab." I reply

"No problem Eric. It would be good to be able to process the evidence we collected." We began the work.

While we were working Detective Tripp enters the lab holding a folder. He looks in my direction with that weird smile of his.

"Hello Rebecca, Delko keepin' you busy?" I look in his direction.

"Hi Frank. That would be a yes, we have a lot of evidence to process." Frank continues.

"I got the copy of Juan Salazar's statement. Maybe it will lighten your load a bit." Eric looked at Frank with this smirk on his face.

"That's really nice of you to bring the report down here Frank; normally I have to chase it down myself gettin' it from you." Frank gave Eric an annoyed look.

"Just tryin' to help out Delko. Now if you don't want my help let me know." Not knowing the full extent of Eric and Frank's relationship I walked up to Frank and took the folder from him.

"Thanks Frank." I hand the folder to Eric. "For bringing it down here." Eric drops eye contact with Frank and opens the folder to look at the contents.

"Yea, thanks Frank for bringing this down here. Appreciate it." It would seem the tension I perceived was in error. There was no tension between them. I have a lot to learn about how these people interact. Frank was now looking at me as Eric was going over the file.

"If Horatio doesn't make you an offer he's a fool." I just stared at him. I could not respond to what he said. Frank then turns to Eric,

"Later Delko gotta get back to work." With that he then walks out into the hallway and leaves. Eric shakes his head as he chuckles, talking under his breath.

"Man, Frank is sure acting weird." I respond to his statement.

"What makes you say that?" Eric laughs.

"Lets just say that Frank is normally not very nice to people he does not know. He normally has, well, a gruff personality." Because I felt a bit uneasy I tilt my head and say to Eric.

"I guess that's nice to know. Thanks." I then turn away from Eric and go back to processing the evidence. I knew that Frank has a strong personality and is probably on his best behavior because I was new but I also got the impression that he is the type of guy that took no crap from anyone.

Later Ryan Wolf enters the lab.

"Hey Eric it's my turn to take Rebecca now." I look up from my work and nod a greeting to Ryan. I wanted to finish up what I was doing first before I left Eric. Eric states.

"Sure Ryan, she's all yours." I pipe up.

"Just wanna finish this last part first okay Ryan?" He nods then said.

"Sure, I'll wait." He then takes a seat at a vacant stool and waits. Suddenly feeling rushed I did not want to give into that feeling. I took a deep breath and slowed myself down a bit. I felt Ryan watching me but I had my back to him. Eric walks up to me and puts his hand on my shoulder.

"That's okay Rebecca. I'll finish this up for you. Go ahead and go with Ryan." I was grateful for the reprieve. It was like Ryan's eyes were boring holes in my back and I felt a little bit uncomfortable with him watching me.

"Thanks Eric I appreciate it." He smiles then takes over my work. As I walk out the lab with Ryan my stomach growls very loudly. I realize that I have not eaten since before I came in. The continental breakfast was long gone. Ryan stops walking and stares at me.

"Did you get to eat any lunch?" I also stop walking.

"No, I guess time slipped away from me." He shook his head.

"Eric." Ryan spat. "He probably forgot to let you take a break." He then waves his hand. "Come on. I'll take you to the break room and you can get something from the wheel of death." He then shrugged. "Sorry, it's the best I can do right now." I look at Ryan puzzled.

"Wheel of death? Should I trust that I would survive what I eat out of it?" I was joking but then you never know.

"Rebecca." He says. "The food is fine. That's just a nickname for it that's all." I raise my eyebrows and smile.

"Ryan, I am just joking. I think everyone calls those wheel food dispensers the wheel of death. Without them I think we would all starve" Ryan began walking and I followed him to the break room. From the wheel of death I choose a turkey sandwich and bottled water. Ryan gets himself a candy bar and joins me at the table. I began eating my lunch as he consumes his food. He then informs me as I am eating.

"I am running trace on evidence collected this morning. Its from the callout Horatio and I went on earlier." I nod my head acknowledging him. My mouth was full of food so I did not speak. He continued.

"What I would like to do is show you the procedure of how we perform them then I will let you run some trace." He added. "But I will choose what you run okay?" I swallowed my food.

"No problem Ryan. However you want to do this is fine by me." He seemed the type of person that likes to be in control. That's okay by me. I totally understand that need for control being a control freak myself.

Ryan and I go to the trace lab to begin the work. His instruction was very methodical and very direct. Ryan knew his stuff and was very anal of how he presented himself. A lot of this I took on account of his age. I take him to be in his mid to late 20's and the ego of men in this age range can be pretty high. With maturity he will mellow on the ego thing with his imposing his great knowledge over me. Because I understood where he was coming from I did not have a problem with his need to control things. He does not know me or my work ethics or my knowledge base so for now I have no problem with him.

After Ryan went over the procedures of how Miami Dade does trace he then chose which evidence I was to run. I noticed he assigned me the lesser evidence as he ran his own trace on the more important evidence. However I did notice that when I asked questions he seemed comfortable with them and liked to answer them. Ryan held a wealth of information about the most fascinating stuff. This amazed me so I could not help myself with getting him to talk about weird subjects. Ryan had no problem indulging me either.

It was during such a weird conversation when Lieutenant Caine entered the lab. I think he entered when Ryan was telling me.

"In court they are always asking what the sperm count is. In our lab we just run the seminal test and DNA. We don't concern ourselves with how many sperm cells there are or whether or not they are alive." Ryan then notices Lieutenant Caine standing there. I did not reply at all.

"Oh H." Ryan makes a little nervous laugh. "What can I do for you?" Lieutenant Caine answers.

"Teaching Ms Castillo the nuances of forensics huh?" He was looking at his hands with that smirk on his face. He then makes eye contact with Ryan. "Update me please."

Ryan is all business sharing with the Lieutenant his findings. After the update Lieutenant Caine lets Ryan know that he is going to take me for the last two hours of the shift. I thank Ryan for his time and he smiles.

"Pleasure's all mine Rebecca. Thanks for your help." Lieutenant Caine and I then leave the lab. He informs me.

"We are going to Autopsy. Alexx and I will be working on the case I got the callout on this morning." I reply.

"That's great. Look forward to it." He stops walking and tilts his head studying me.

"You have seen autopsies before?" He was so serious and intense I ended up shifting my weight onto the other foot as the result of his intense stare.

"Yes Lieutenant Caine I have seen autopsies before. Both in Juarez and with the BCA." I kept eye contact with him as I answered him.

"Good. But if you feel queasy or feel faint you can step out of the room okay?" I smile knowing that probably won't happen. After what I have seen in Juarez I don't think anything can gross me out anymore. The drug cartel can do some pretty grisly things to people.

"Thanks Lieutenant I'll keep that in mind." I said that to appease him. He then continues to walk to the coroner's office and suites.

As we entered I noticed how cold the suite was kept. Then I noticed how technical the place was. It looked all shiny and new loaded with state of the art equipment. There were cameras and flat screen monitors all over the place. Above the suite was a theater and it too was loaded with computers and flat screens. I looked around with my mouth open. I did not even notice the young woman lying on the stainless steal slab. Alexx comments.

"You like my autopsy suite Rebecca?" I snap my attention back to her and say.

"Um. It's very impressive Alexx. I have never seen anything like it." I then point up to the upper level. "What is all that equipment up there for?"

"Rebecca, this is a learning autopsy suite. This suite is used for teaching purposes and the theater upstairs is used for documenting and observation." Lieutenant Caine adds.

"That's where we will be going." He then tells Alexx. "I am going to take a look over before you start cutting okay Alexx?" She nods her head.

"Okay Horatio. I already collected the fingernail scrapings and have her clothing cataloged and ready to be sent to trace." He gives her that smirky smile.

"Good job Alexx." He then begins to walk out of the room and I follow him.

Up in the theater Lieutenant Caine begins to power up the computer and equipment. The image of the body on the slab shows up on the screen. The resolution is outstanding. Alexx does a sound check.

"Can you hear me Horatio?" He answers.

"Crystal clear Alexx, gonna take a moment to take a look at Mrs. Stein." I am staring at the image and I notice something weird on her right forearm. It was kind of shinny and looked like the color green. I lean in close to the Lieutenant's ear and whisper.

"What's that stuff on her right forearm?" He answers

"Right forearm times ten." The computer then zeros in on the forearm and the foreign substance on the arm is more noticeable. "Good eye Ms Castillo." He then communicates with Alexx. "Alexx, I need for you to take a sample of that foreign substance on Mrs. Stein's right forearm." Alexx takes a swab and looks at it.

"I'm not sure what this is Horatio." She then takes the swab sample, secures it and logs it in the system. "Hopefully trace will be able to tell what it is." She sets the swab aside with the other evidence. Lieutenant Caine continues to scrutinize the image of the dead woman as I stand by and watch.

After he is done with his part of the exam he lets Alexx know that she can begin the autopsy. Alexx begins with the standard Y cut starting at each clavicle area, meeting at the sternum in the middle then continuing down the belly. It started out pretty standard with her measuring and weighing the organs. Looking for any abnormalities and such but nothing exciting was noted. Cause of death was not determined because Alexx had not received all the information from toxicology yet. I noticed during the autopsy the Lieutenant looked my way a few times. He probably was checking to see if my complexion turned white as a sign of whether or not I was able to handle it. I kept my eyes on the screen and sometimes looked down at Alexx watching her do her job.

By the time she was done it was past 7pm. I was pretty much mentally exhausted because it had been a very full day and I had a lot to process in my mind. My stomach growled loudly again signaling me I need to eat. I hate when it growls. It's so embarrassing. The Lieutenant looks at me raising an eyebrow.

"Yep it's about that time." He then continues. "I'll take you to this fantastic Cuban restaurant okay?" That took me by surprise. I actually just wanted to go back to the hotel to relax and be alone.

"I appreciate the offer Lieutenant but I would just like to get back to the hotel." He looks at me in that intense way of his.

"It is apparent that you need to eat. Come on." He then began walking toward the elevators. He was not taking no for an answer. I guess I am getting a taste of that intensity John talked about.

After I climbed into the cab of the Hummer I attempted to beg off from having to eat dinner with the Lieutenant.

"Look Lieutenant I would prefer just to go back to the hotel okay?" He turns his body facing me.

"Ms Castillo." He pauses. "Since you did not get a chance to eat a proper lunch." He pauses yet again. "Or breakfast I am going to insist that you at least allow me to provide you with a decent dinner." His insistence of having his way sort of ticked me off. I looked back at him probably with an annoyed look on my face.

"I can get dinner at the hotel restaurant." I add in for his benefit. "I will make sure I have something from each food group." I sighed. "Is that good enough for you?" My last comment probably sounded snide but I was getting crabby from lack of food and how long my day was. He announces to me.

"The hotel stops serving dinner at 7pm. Its after 7 now." My instincts told me he was not going to give up so I concede.

"Fine, I guess it's off to your fantastic Cuban restaurant then." I was feeling prickly because I do not like to be manipulated by anyone. As I moved to apply the seatbelt he adjusts back to facing the front and also applied his seatbelt.

"Ms Castillo you won't regret it. I promise you." I know he is probably only referring to the food but my mind wondered if he was insinuating something else as well. I noticed that throughout the day the way he communicated seemed somewhat too personal.

During the drive to the restaurant I kept quiet. I needed to get my bearings straight and I needed to shake the bad mood I suddenly was in. At least the Lieutenant seemed to respect my need not to talk at this time. When we got to the restaurant it took a bit of maneuvering to park the gianormous Hummer into a tiny parking spot. I was told we are in Little Havana and I saw that the Cuban restaurant was a hole in the wall type place. It has been my experience that not so pretty places normally serves the best food. I resolved the fact that I was not in control of the situation so I was going to enjoy this little adventure. My attitude improved immensely and I even put a small smile on my face. Lieutenant Caine opens the door and I step into one of the most garishly decorated place I have ever seen. It was nothing like the Cuban bar slash restaurant downtown Minneapolis called Café Havana. This is the place my cousin Scott and I go to relax and have good conversations. The Lieutenant steps up to my left side as a short elder Cuban man warmly welcomes him.

"Horacio it's good to see you. It's been too long my friend." He pronounced his name with the Spanish accent. The Cuban then moves forward to hug the Lieutenant. He hugs him back. Backs were slapped.

"It's good to see you also Ignatius." Ignatius takes a step back and looks at me curiously.

"Who's your lady friend Horacio?" The Lieutenant replies with.

"This is Rebecca Castillo." He pauses and I am starting to get use to them. "She is a potential hire for the lab." A big grin appears on Ignatius's face.

"Oh I see. Welcome Rebecca." He then adds. "Going to wine and dine her huh? Show her some Miami hospitality?" Lieutenant Caine lightly chuckles.

"It's been a long day for Ms Castillo and she is in need of some of your fine food this evening." With that the host then shows us to a table in an out of the way, somewhat secluded spot by huge potted plants. I was kind of expecting a parrot to crawl out of the fronds. Lieutenant Caine then orders.

"Bring the usual Ignatius and two Mojito's." The little Cuban man replies.

"Very good Horacio. I will bring the drinks right away." Ignatius then walks away to fulfill the order. A few moments later he sets down two tall glasses with a clear liquid in it over ice. A slice of lime with mint leaves floating in it was the only color. Not knowing what a Mojito was I tilt my head and study the drink carefully. I saw the Lieutenant take the straw and stir up his drink. He then takes a sip up through the straw. I copy him and find the drink real smooth and delicious. It was really good and I could taste a hit of rum. I love rum. I am then informed.

"What do you think of the Mojito?" He adds. "It's a traditional drink from Cuba and very popular here in Miami." I drank about a quarter of the drink in one shot. It was that good and smooth.

"This is pretty good. I can tell there is rum in this." I drink some more. "Real tasty indeed." I noticed that more of my drink was gone than his. I better slow down because I have not had anything to eat yet. I started to feel a bit warm as the alcohol began to take effect. The drink was stronger than the taste suggested. Suddenly I remember my manners.

"Thank you Lieutenant Caine for bringing me here. I like the atmosphere a lot." He takes another sip of his drink.

"You can call me Horatio Ms Castillo and your welcome." I gesture my hand in his direction with my palm up.

"Only if you agree to call me Rebecca." I reasoned that since I call my boss at the BCA by his first name it was okay to do that here. I also was feeling real relaxed. The day was intense but the stressors were leaving my body due to the Mojito. My cheeks felt warm and I knew that my face was probably flushed. He answers me.

"Okay Rebecca." I then try it myself.

"Good Horatio." But I mispronounced his name. The way I said it sounded more like Hor-roash-shee-oh. Damn my Midwestern accent. I drew out the O's sounding them out as a long vowel and did not seem to have the capability to pronounce his name correctly. Embarrassed and frustrated I thought to myself who the hell would name their kid Horatio anyway. "Sorry. Um." I try again. "Hor-roash-shee-oh" Bloody hell! Why can't I say his name correctly? Maybe I should go back to calling him Lieutenant Caine. At least I can say that right. Embarrassed I could not look him in the eye. He lightly laughs

"Don't worry Rebecca. People have all sorts of pronunciations for my name." I was looking at my drink and noticed it was three quarters gone. Must be one potent beverage. I was not drunk but I was feeling a slight buzz. I needed to eat something before I drink any more of that Mojito. With that thought Ignatius brought out two heaping plates of food. He sets them in front of us with a big smile on his face.

"Enjoy." He eyed our drinks. Horatio's was almost gone and I had about one fourth left in mine. "Shall I bring more Mojito's?" As is normal in the Latin culture he looks to Horatio for direction. Horatio nods his head yes.

"That will be fine. The food smells delicious Ignatius." Ignatius then walks away to fill the drink order. I look at my plate trying to decide where to start. Horatio already started digging in. He was probably hungry also. I was only able to eat about one forth of the foods in front of me before I had to take a break. After eating I could tell my buzz was better and I sobered up quite a bit. I then drank the rest of the first Mojito as Horatio comments.

"I am getting a lot of positive feedback from the team." I look up at him and smile. He continues. "It seems you have the ability to adjust well to the different personalities of my team." I use the second Mojito to wash down my mouth full of food. The Cuban food was delicious.

"You have a fantastic team Horacio." I chose to use the Spanish pronunciation of Orr-raa-cee-oh for his name because for whatever reason it was easier for me to say. The Spanish version rolled off my tongue so much better. I guess Mojito's and saying the English version of Horatio didn't mix well for me. I continued with. "A team I could easily work with. They are very intelligent and were patient with all my questions. I was happy to realize that they are not shy about sharing information. Everyone was extremely helpful" He gives me a half smile.

"I am glad to hear that Rebecca." He takes a drink of his Mojito. "I happen to think I have one of the best teams in the field." It was nice to hear that he values his team and he is the type that would look out for them. Lieutenant Caine may have some serious quirks but I could tell that he is very loyal to those who work for him. This concept was important to me in a boss. A boss that would not support me is a boss I would find very hard to work for.

As the consumption of the Cuban food along with drinking the Mojito's continued I could feel my tension leave me. I found it easy to relax around Horatio because he seemed to be able to draw me out of the defenses I put up when I don't know people very well. The rum in the Mojito's did help also but it was mostly the company. I knew in the back of my mind he was attempting to learn more about me but then again I was doing the same thing. If I am to be offered the position at the Miami Dade crime lab then I wanted to make sure it was going to be a good fit, as I am sure he is assessing the same thing. I looked at my watch and noticed it was coming up on 9pm. At this time I was beginning to get physically tired.

"The food was wonderful and I appreciate the company but I am thinking it's time for me to get back to the hotel." I then add. "I don't want to keep you out too late away from your family." He sits back in his chair and crosses his legs.

"Don't worry about that Rebecca. I don't have anyone to answer to okay?" At least he is not making some wife angry by keeping late hours.

"Maybe so but I am getting very tired after my rather intense day." I replied hoping he would take the hint and make movement to leave. He looked too comfortable sitting there though. Feeling a bit guilty I continue with. "And I know tomorrow will probably be just as intense." Horatio reached over and took his drink.

"At least finish your Mojito Rebecca," He took a sip. "Then we can leave okay?" I sigh and picked up my Mojito and took a sip. I then lean back into my chair with the drink and attempt to relax also. I kept quiet for a few minuets until he spoke.

"Rebecca," I raise my gaze up from staring at my drink to meet his. "At this time I think it's pretty obvious that you know I will be offering you the position." He takes another drink from his Mojito. "I would like some feedback from you of how things are going with you and my team." Wow. I was not prepared to answer these types of questions. The food and drink had me so relaxed that I was able to answer honestly without thinking. Keeping my gaze locked with his I tell him.

"Well Raa-cee-oh I think your comment made earlier about you having one of the best teams in the field of forensics is pretty accurate." I realized I had shortened his name even more but went on anyway. "The folks I worked with today are very different in personality but all are common with the huge dedication they have to their jobs." I then add. "And to you." I take a drink of my Mojito and continue. Maybe the Mojito is truth serum. "Things are more formal at the BCA but I enjoy working there and the people I work with are wonderful as well." It was what I said next that surprised even me. "I can honestly say that I believe I would fit in well with your team but I have concerns with being able to meet your high expectations." Horatio tilted his head and studied me for a moment. He never dropped his gaze as he took a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Normally I would not be interested in someone that is a recent graduate with little experience but in your case I made an exception." He paused. "I agree that you fit in well with my team but you also need to understand that if you did not already meet my expectations you would not be sitting here now." That made sense. I set my finished drink back onto the table and lean back into my chair.

"I appreciate your vote of confidence." I replied. "The schedule for tomorrow is more intense but I think it will give me a good taste of the rest of the positions in your department." I looked away to stifle a yawn. It looked that I was going to go strait to sleep instead of doing some reading from my forensics books I brought with me. Horatio then signals for Ignatius. The little Cuban approaches him and he hands him his credit card. The card is run and the receipt filled out. Horatio then stands.

"Time to get you back to the hotel." I stand up feeling very tired all of a sudden. The drinks made me feel very relaxed and comfortable.

"There will be no reading tonight. I am gonna sleep like a baby." I look up at him. "The food was wonderful, just the ticket I needed to end my day with." I follow him to the front of the restaurant as he lets me know.

"Tomorrow should be easier for you." He opens the door and I step though it. "You'll be fine, just relax and let my team help you out with anything okay?" I nod my head as we continue to walk to the Hummer.

"The intensity won't let up but at least I am a bit use to it." I smile as I open the door and crawl up into the cab. Horatio then starts up the engine and drives me back to the hotel. He wanted to escort me back to my room. Probably because it was after dark but I saw no need for it so I refused him. I could tell he wanted to insist but I told him it was not necessary the hotel was safe enough. Again he agreed to pick me up at 8am the next morning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters of CSI: Miami only the original characters Rebecca Castillo and others that may be introduced later in the story. I make no money from this weird hobby and am poor full time students so don't sue.

In this chapter I introduce a high profile celebrity death. Any resemblance to an actual celebrity death is coincidental. My story is fictional.

Chapter Three: The Job Interview

At 8am sharp Horatio waited for me in the lobby. With his hands on his hips and that far away look he did not notice me walking up to him. One had to wonder what he was thinking about because he had a real intense look on his face. Refreshed and ready to start my day I received plenty of rest the night before. It was because I did indeed go straight to bed instead of catching up on my reading like I wanted to. Since I did not have a chance to call John this morning I made a mental note to call him later after I got back to the hotel. John considered Horatio his friend and knew him better than I did so this made his feedback very important to me. It would help me to be able to dialog with John about my strange thoughts about Horatio and to go over the conversation he and I had the night before. I figured I would call him after I got back to the hotel. I wanted more insight about Lieutenant Horatio Caine from John's viewpoint.

With the Lieutenant I came to the conclusion that he is the type of person that expects the best out of his employees. He is one of those rare leaders that supports and backs up his employees when in need. Horatio also strikes me as the type of man that can bring out the best in me. I like that about him but in the same hand I am a little bit nervous of that intensity of his. His sense of duty is overwhelming. I know deep down I could never be that dedicated to my job because I need to have balance between my personal life and my professional life. I truly did admire him for his dedication, intelligence and willingness to mentor and help his employees. Lieutenant Horatio Caine is a rare man. But could I work for someone like this? Would he realize that I could never be as dedicated to the job as he is to his and hold it against me? Personally, I got the feeling that he would not. Maybe he realizes that others could not be like him and he accepts that. In my mind no one could live up to what Horatio Caine is and I think he realizes this.

While driving to the lab Horatio got a call on his cell. He takes the call while driving. Maybe Miami does not have that no talking on cell while driving law. Apparently Calleigh did have to go to court today when I was scheduled to be in ballistics. Horatio shares with me that he will switch the timeslot with Alexx. So I am to work with Alexx in the morning and Calleigh in the afternoon after she gets back from court. Secretly I was glad that he would not make me go 'shadow' her in court. I know that testifying in court is part of the job but it's the part I least like. It also looked like the last part of the shift I would be spending with him. Not sure why I would need to shadow him since I am not going to be a supervisor but I surmised that it would give me more time to see him in his element and learn more about him as a leader. I thought long and hard about our conversation last night and I continued to digest it. The opportunity here at the Miami Dade crime lab is going to be fantastic for my career but could I be happy being so far away from home? Realizing I needed to start my workday I pushed these thoughts out of my mind as Horatio pulled into the parking garage. As we get out of the Hummer Horatio asks me.

"Rebecca you are real quiet this morning. Is everything okay?" I look over at him.

"I'm fine." He still stared at me so I continue. "You have to realize that I have a lot on my mind, yes?" He tilts his head giving me that weird smile without teeth. He had the look of compassion.

"Is there anything I could help you with?" He paused. "Anything I should be concerned about?" I realized that like my mother he was one of those people that could read people's moods and reactions real well. That he was empathic. My mother passed on this trait to me and this ability has helped me endless times though out my life. I shut the door of the Hummer and move toward the hood so I can see him better. My ability told me that I could trust him and confide in him.

"Lieu, I mean Horacio, after what you said last night at dinner got me thinking about my move down here might actually happen." He moves over to my side of the vehicle so that he is standing in front of me. "This is a major decision for me and I want to make sure it's the right decision for me to make." I dropped my gaze looking at the garage ground. "Miami is a long way from Minnesota and I know I would miss my family and friends and I don't know anyone here. I would be starting all over again."

"Rebecca." I still did not look up because I was suddenly struggling with my emotions. "Rebecca," He softly said my name so I look up at him. "13 years ago I moved from New York to Miami so I understand how hard it is to move so far away from home." He paused making sure he had eye contact with me. "I know how stressful a move like this can be along with the training of a new job, getting to know your co-workers, finding a place to live and leaving all you know behind." It truly was too overwhelming to contemplate about. "But if you do decide to join my team I promise to make sure your transition to Miami be as smooth as possible okay?" It was actually comforting to know that he has been in my shoes even if it was 13 years ago.

"Thank you for sharing your experience, I really appreciate that. Sometimes I think people don't understand how stressful relocating can be." I also add. "You would think it would be old hat by now since I was in the Navy but I have been back in Minnesota since late 1988." I attempt a shy smile signaling him to close the subject. He gives me a smile back taking my hint.

"Okay then. Lets get to work." We then start walking toward the elevators.

Horatio takes me over to the coroner department and Alexx is already hard at work. She looks up as I enter with him behind me.

"Good morning Rebecca." Then greets Horatio. "Good morning to you also Horatio." Horatio starts off with.

"Good morning Alexx. Calleigh has court this morning so I will be having Rebecca shadow you until lunchtime okay?" I was impressed he said all that without pausing. Alexx smiles.

"No problem Horatio. I will take care of Rebecca right." Horatio had no doubt that Alexx would take care of me. He then informs us.

"I'll be back to take you both to lunch. Yesterday Ryan had Rebecca eat from the wheel of death." Alexx makes a face.

"Oh that Ryan. Was probably too busy to think about taking a lunch break." Horatio makes movement to leave the room.

"Okay then. See you both around noon." He exits the room.

Alexx had me change into a set of scrubs. The set was a little bit too big for me but they were comfortable. She also gave me booties to put over my shoes so I would not get them dirty. I was also issued a mask and she handed me some non-powder non-latex gloves. Although I was mostly to be an observer I told her I did not mind helping out with the more mundane or tedious processes to save her some time. The internship at the BCA included assigned hours with each department in crime scene investigation so I did fulfill my hours in autopsy. With whatever duties Alexx was comfortable with me performing I was willing to do them.

Throughout our morning together I found Alexx to have a big heart with a strong motherly side. Like everyone else I worked with she was more than willing to share experiences and knowledge with me. She was patient with my endless questions and she took her role as teacher seriously. I liked her immediately and had no trouble feeling comfortable around her. We are around the same age so that helped also. The bond I formed with her was surprising strong for us being together so short of time. All too soon the noon hour came upon us as Horatio entered the autopsy suite with Calleigh at his side. We just finished up and changed back onto our street clothes.

"You both ready for lunch?" He asked. Alexx greets Calleigh with a nod and answers Horatio.

"More than ready Horatio, Rebecca and I had a busy morning." She looks to Calleigh. "How was court this morning?" Calleigh answers her.

"It went well. The evidence spoke and Holdger is going to jail." Horatio piped in.

"Good job Calleigh, that scum needed to be sent up." He then looks to me and back to Calleigh. "Calleigh you remember Rebecca." Calleigh speaks up.

"Yes I do Horatio." He continues.

"You get to work with her after lunch okay? How's your schedule this afternoon?" She gives him a polite smile.

"I'm up to my ass in ballistics from the Guanno case. Don't worry handsome I have plenty to show Rebecca." I don't think I will ever get use to her calling him handsome. For some reason it made me uncomfortable. Horatio chuckles.

"I have no doubt Calleigh." Calleigh then turns her attention to me.

"Well Rebecca after lunch you get to be with me." I smile in her direction.

"I hope to be of some use to you. I have to tell you that I have not used a firearm since I was in the navy." I then look down. "When I was in boot camp, um, in 1982 to be exact." Calleigh touches my upper arm lightly.

"Don't worry Rebecca I won't make you fire any weapons." She gives me a nice smile showing all teeth. "Unless you want to." Alexx has her say.

"Let's get going, I'm starving people." With that everybody makes movement to leave the autopsy suite.

Lunch was a simple affair at a little café on the beach near the crime lab. The day was sunny and warm with a slight breeze off the ocean. Although humid it was easier to take with the slight cool breeze. After everyone was seated Detective Frank Tripp walked up to the table.

"Hey everyone, mind if I join you?" He asked. Alexx was the first to acknowledge him.

"No problem sweetie, the more the merrier." Frank then grabs an extra chair from the empty table next to us. Calleigh scoots over so Frank positioned himself between her and me. Horatio asks him.

"What brings you out this way Frank?" Frank had looked over at me and told me hello but took his attention quickly back to Horatio before I could respond.

"Well Horatio I actually was lookin' to talk to you but I can do that after lunch." Horatio nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"No problem Frank. Let's enjoy our lunch first." The waiter arrived and took our drink orders. I went back to reading the menu keeping quiet for now. After the waiter took our food orders Frank turned his head to face me.

"How are things going so far Rebecca?" I looked over at him.

"Things are going real well. It's amazing how diverse this job truly is." Frank then asks me.

"You think you could like it here in Miami?" That question threw me. I had to take a moment to formulate my answer.

"It's very different from Minnesota. The jury is still out as I have only been here for two and half days. It's hard to know when I have not seen much of Miami except for the crime lab, crime scenes and my hotel." I purposely left out the information about the Cuban restaurant. I quickly looked over at Horatio but he did not respond so I looked back over at Frank. Frank asked Calleigh.

"Aren't you, Boa Vista and the guys going clubbin' tonight? That's the word I heard from Wolf anyway." Calleigh laughs lightly and answers in her southern accent.

"Why Frank, did you want to join us this evening?" Frank answered her.

"Well I was thinkin' that maybe you might wanna invite Rebecca. Ya know, give her a little taste of Miami and all." Horatio then spoke up.

"I'm not sure taking Rebecca clubbing is appropriate at this time." Frank raised an eyebrow while looking in Horatio's direction. It was because Horatio used my first name instead of Ms Castillo, as he is prone to do.

"Shit Horatio, if it makes you feel better I'll go with them and make sure they don't get too rowdy." Horatio seemed to be studying his hands.

"Frank," he paused "there are better Miami sites to see than going to South Beach clubs." I did not know what to say. For one I was not apparently invited along in the first place. Frank seemed to be pushing Calleigh to invite me and is willing to accompany the group to keep them honest. The four CSI's did not strike me as wild partiers anyway. Personally I saw no harm in what Frank purposed but I did not want to be forced onto their original plans if they did not want me to come. Finally I said.

"Calleigh, you don't have to include me if you don't want to, okay?" She grinned and stated.

"Well I think Frank's idea is a good one. Maybe the whole team should come." She looks over at Horatio and Alexx. "How about you two as well Horatio and Alexx?" Alexx adds.

"I'm gonna pass honey. I'm going home to my kids. It's been a long week and I have been busy as hell the past two days." Calleigh looks to Horatio gesturing to him for his answer.

"Calleigh," Horatio looked in her direction. "Um," he takes another moment to think about it. I took it to mean he does not go clubbing. Horatio honestly looked the type that did not go clubbing at all. After all it's an activity for the 20 and 30 something's. I admit I was up for it even though I am in my 40's. What the hell, it seemed like fun and I love to go dancing. I took the chance to attempt to get him out of it.

"Maybe Horatio has other plans for this evening and prefers not to go." I looked over at him.

"Um," He continued. "I guess going to a club can be a bonding experience for the team and Rebecca." He paused. "You can count me in Calleigh." Calleigh smiles wide.

"Great, don't worry Rebecca, it will be fun." I don't remember accepting the invitation; hell I don't remember the invitation being extended to me. I also realized I did not pack any 'clubbing' cloths. However I was determined not to stress out over my lack of suitable clothes. Take me or leave me.

The food arrived and everyone dug in. I ordered something light and simple. I did not want to take a chance of upsetting the delicate balance of my digestive tract after the gruesome morning I had. Frank looks at my plate.

"That's all you gonna eat Rebecca?" I looked over at his plate and it was of food. Mine looked naked compared to his.

"After spending the morning helping Alexx with autopsies, yes this is all I am going to eat. My appetite has seemed to of left me for now" Frank then cut his grilled chicken in half and put it on my plate.

"I'd feel better if you had a little more to eat than what you have on your plate." First Horatio now Frank is concerned with my eating habits. I barely know these people and they were sort of overstepping their bounds. No one at home would be doing this. Again I had to remember that maybe the culture is different down here and I am missing something. Calleigh spoke up before I could reply.

"Now Frank, what makes you think Rebecca is going to feel like eating your chicken?" Frank looked at her wrinkling up his forehead and narrowing his eyes. It made him look kind of mean.

"Well for one thing she doesn't have much on her plate. I know how you CSI's are probably gonna run her ragged and she is gonna need the energy to keep up with all of you." I interjected before an argument could erupt.

"No worries, I'll eat the chicken. I like grilled chicken." It sounded kind of stupid but I wanted the conversation to move on. I then looked at Frank. "Thank you Frank, I am sure the chicken is fine." Calleigh laughed.

"Oh Frank, you are so sweet. I don't care what other people say; you are just a big ole soft teddy bear." I almost choked on the chicken I was attempting to eat. A big ole soft teddy bear is not how I envisioned Frank. Of course Calleigh was teasing Frank. The relationships of these people are somewhat complicated to say the least. Alexx just snorted at Calleigh's comment with a big smile on her face. I did not say a word.

More light banter was held during the rest of lunch. Since Frank wanted to speak with Horatio after lunch Horatio went with Frank back to headquarters. He gave the keys of the Hummer to Calleigh and had her take Alexx and me back. I thanked Alexx for a very educational time this morning. She laughed and told me.

"No problem Rebecca, you did real well this morning." She then got serious. "I have a feeling that Horatio is gonna offer you the job. If you decide to join us please don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything okay?" She takes out a card and writes a phone number on the back of it. "Here is my phone numbers for my cell, office and home. Please keep in touch with me Rebecca." It did not really surprise me that she gave me her personal phone numbers. Since I really liked her I did want to continue to keep in touch with her. I reply.

"Thank you Alexx. That means a lot to me. Believe it or not moving so far from home is rather intimidating." She gives me a wide smile.

"Don't worry Rebecca we'll try to make the move down here as painless as possible for you. Horatio's a good man. He'll take good care of you and we will too." It was obvious that she meant what she said. That comforted me a lot.

After we got back to headquarters it was off to Ballistics for me. On our way Calleigh and I passed Eric in the hallway. Calleigh stops walking and gets Eric's attention.

"Eric." He stopped walking and faced us. "By the way Rebecca, Horatio and Frank will be joinin' us for dancing." Eric shakes his head laughing lightly.

"So dancin' tonight is turning into a team event?" Calleigh answers with.

"You know it. I can't wait to see Horatio and Frank out on the dance floor. This is gonna be good." Eric laughs.

"I may have to pretend I don't know them." Calleigh playfully taps Eric on the upper arm.

"Eric, you wouldn't." But Eric insisted.

"Yes I would if it comes to that." He then got an idea. "We probably should all have dinner somewhere before we go dancing." Calleigh tilts her head.

"That's not a bad idea. Food before dancing is always good." She then asks him. "Have any idea where we should go eat?" Eric thought for a moment.

"Well there's that steak house near the club." Calleigh brightened up liking the idea.

"Good idea Eric. Lets all meet there at 7pm. I will text message everyone so they know what's going on." She then takes out her cell phone and makes the text message and sends it. "If you see the others make sure they got it okay." Eric answers.

"No problem Calleigh." He then began walking off to where ever it was he was going to. Calleigh and I continued our way to ballistics.

Calleigh gave me the tour of her lab. It was when she led me into the gun locker where she takes a moment and looks around. The look on her face was one of true love. In a way it was kind of funny. I comment to her.

"Wow, this is impressive as I have never seen so many different types of weapons in one place." She turns to me with a wide smile on her face gesturing to all the weapons.

"These are my babies. Any weapon I need to use for comparison can get retrieved right from here." I giggle at her reference to the weapons being her babies. Calleigh then begins to walk out.

"Come one Rebecca, its time for me to show you the finer art of Ballistics." Calleigh was very outgoing and had a nice sunny personality. I also am sure that then angered she was as hard as nails and would stand up for what she thinks is right. It's that southern thing I think

I found Calleigh to be very easy to work with. This was kind of strange for me because I normally get along with men better in the workplace. There was also our age difference because in the past if the age difference is too wide I would normally have trouble relating to the younger woman. We normally would not have anything in common to talk about so for me all I can talk about is work related topics. However with Calleigh it was very easy for me to relate to her so I was able to be more myself and feel more at ease. It was almost uncanny how easily I was able to trust her. Normally it takes me quite a bit of time to trust anyone on any level. With Calleigh Duquesne she emitted high integrity and was able to draw me out quite skillfully. After a couple of hours of working with her our conversations took on a more personal level. Besides Alexx and Horatio she was the only person who asked me any personal questions at all. Finally I worked up the courage to ask her about calling Horatio handsome. Maybe she was involved with him personally. This made sense to me because of their personalities. I asked anyway trusting that she would let me know if I crossed the line.

"Calleigh, can I ask you something personal?" She looked over at me making eye contact.

"Sure Rebecca." I made eye contact with her but quickly lowered my head. I was nervous all of a sudden. I dove ahead.

"Um, why do you call Lieutenant Caine handsome?" Calleigh smiled wide laughing lightly.

"Cuz he is handsome. Don't you think so?" Oh Lord. I actually am not sure what I think about Horatio Caine in the looks department. He is the guy in charge, my interviewer, and the person who makes the decision on whether or not he is going to offer me the job. I did not think about how he looks at all. I am way too intimidated by his personality right now. I sidestep her question with a comment of my own.

"Well to be honest with all that is going on with the working job interview I have not concentrated on the Lieutenant's looks at all so I have not formed any opinion about it." Calleigh laughs out loud.

"Fair enough Rebecca, I was just teasing anyway. I know how much stress you have been under the past few days." She then changed gears. "Horatio and I have worked together almost 5 years so we have a close working relationship. We banter back and forth and the like. Handsome is just a nickname I have for him." Okay that answered my question. I guess they are not involved personally. Not that I would advocate a personal relationships with coworkers I felt that Horatio and Calleigh would make a wonderful couple. They both have such powerful personalities but would balance one another. Oh well, who was I to be matching up the Miami Dade CSI's?

The rest of my time with Calleigh went smoothly. Again she offered to take me to the shooting range they had on site and show me how to fire a gun. I took her up on her offer because I felt that she would be very good at instructing me. However, Lieutenant Caine walked into ballistics with a determined look in his eye. Calleigh raised her eyebrow and asked.

"Something on your mind Horatio?" It would seem that the Lieutenant found looking down at studying his hands more interesting than making eye contact with either of us.

"I'm afraid that we all will have to pull a double tonight." He then made eye contact with Calleigh. "That would mean the plans for tonight will have to be canceled." Calleigh flashed one of her brilliant smiles.

"That's not a problem. May I ask what we are pulling the double for?" Horatio then took a quick look over at me then looked back at Calleigh.

"The team is meeting in conference room two in fifteen minuets. I'll explain everything then. Okay?" His expression was grim but he was all business. "Rebecca," I made eye contact with him. "Please attend also." I nod my head yes in agreement. He turned and left the ballistics lab walking in that graceful way of his. Calleigh turned to me.

"Lets get the evidence secured. I have a feeling I won't get back to this anytime soon." I then helped her file the hard evidence making sure all was secure.

"I guess the firing range will have to wait for another time." I stated. Calleigh looked back at me and tilted her head.

"That's too bad Rebecca," She continues "I would of loved to show you a thing or two."

Calleigh and I made our way to conference room two. Some of the CSI's were already assembled but Frank and Eric were missing. We took a seat in two vacant chairs. It was then Lieutenant Caine walked in holding a folder.

"Sorry about asking you all to pull a double," He looked around the room noticing some personal missing. "This is a high profile case and I have been asked that our team work this." He then looked over at me. "Rebecca," Horatio seemed to be in some sort of indecision. "Since your not actually an employee of Miami Dade," He paused "Yet. I need to ask you to step out of the meeting due to confidentiality issues. Please wait for me in my office." I rise from my chair and move to leave the room.

"No problem Lieutenant." He tilted his head and wrinkled his brow looking directly at me.

"It's fine to call me Horatio. Okay?" I nod my head in agreement but did not reply. I just wanted to get the hell out of there at that point.

As I walked to Horatio's office I saw Eric and Frank in a hurry to get to conference room two. Frank stops and asks me.

"Rebecca," I stop walking to face him. He continues. " Why aren't you at the meeting?" I answer him.

"I believe it's due to confidentiality." I smile. "After all I am not actually an employee." Frank nods his head in agreement.

"Oh, that would be an issue." Eric interrupts Frank.

"We better get going Frank. We're probably holding up the show." They both consume walking to the conference room while I continued my way to Horatio's office.

I entered Horatio's office and took a seat on the ugly green couch that was in there. It would seem that his office got left out on all the techno ergo fancy furniture. On his large dark wooden desk he did have a kick ass computer system. Actually it was a laptop docked into the port replicator, which had a large flat screen monitor, keyboard and mouse attached to it. Of course I had to take a moment to inspect his computer set up. The screensaver displayed the Miami Dade logo as it floated around. I bumped the mouse and the login box requested user ID and password. The Lieutenant had his system locked, which was not surprising to me. His desk did not have any personal items on it, just the computer system, several files in jackets and a desk lamp.

Since I did not know how long he was going to take for his meeting I started to become restless just waiting. I got up from the couch and started looking around the office. The office had a bookshelf so I began there reading the titles and getting a gist of what and where his interests lie. The bookshelf held a lot of forensic type books but I found a small collection of Horatio Alger novels. I remember studying this author in my American lit class. Alger was well known for his novels about down and out boys who make a life for themselves. In his time these novels were very well received giving young boys the inspiration to better their lives. Also on the bookshelves where a few framed personal pictures that he had displayed. One was of the team but Ryan and Natalia were missing and a man was standing next to Eric I did not recognize. There also was another picture of the current team because I recognized everyone in the picture. The current team picture looked like it was taken at a Christmas party. He also had a picture of a couple with a young boy. The man held a similar resemblance to Horatio so I surmised this person had to be related to him. It took me about 15 minuets to survey the office but after awhile I felt like I was invading the owner's privacy.

Sitting back down on the ugly green couch I took out my cell phone and decided to call my boss John back at the BCA. It's about 3pm here in Miami, which would put Minnesota at 4pm. I hoped John was still at work. Dialing the number I waited for him to pick up. I then hear his voice.

"Rebecca, it's about time you called me." One theory I hold is that with caller ID the greeting "hello" will eventually become extinct.

"John, glad I was able to catch you. I just now have a few moments to talk. Sorry I have not had the opportunity to call you earlier." I could hear papers rustling in the background.

"How's it going in Miami?" He asked me.

"Things are going very well. They gave me the opportunity to work with each member of the team. This team is a very diverse group. I also am very impressed with the level of technology down here. The equipment is very drool worthy here." I hear him chuckle then add.

"Well the equipment at the BCA is not too shabby Rebecca." I smile.

"I know that John, I have always enjoyed learning the new systems and puttering around with the lab equipment but I gotta tell ya the Miami Dade crime lab is much larger than the BCA. It's very impressive but then I suppose you already know that." I got up off the couch and started walking around in the office. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind telling me more about Lieutenant Caine." John came back with.

"What is it you want to know about Horatio Rebecca?" I caught a little bit of concern in his voice. My pacing picked up as I attempted to get my thoughts in order. I then choose to stand in front of the windows of the Miami skyline. My back was to the door of the office.

"Well," I paused not really sure what I wanted to say. Almost a little bit embarrassed to ask I swallowed and attempted to plow ahead. "I understand that the culture down here is going to be different than what I am use to back home. That I can adjust to because I actually enjoy the difference. People down here can be warm and friendly. Um, anyway, about Lieutenant Caine." John interrupts.

"Has Horatio asked you to call him by his first name yet?" I took a moment to answer him.

"Yes he did. But I seem to have problems pronouncing the English version correctly. I, um, call him by the Spanish version Horacio." I was not sure why John asked me this so I waited for him to enlighten me.

"That's great. I honestly did not think he would come around as quickly as he did." Not understanding what he meant by this I asked.

"John, what do you mean by, come around quickly?" John laughed lightly.

"Until a person gains his approval and trust he normally does not insist they call him by his first name. Horatio can be formal that way." I think I understood but I wanted to clarify.

"So what you are saying is that by him asking me to call him by his first name showed that he accepted me? So this is more on a personal level and not just him extending simple professional courtesy?" John added.

"You have only been down there two and half days so yes, I think that it's a very good sign that he asked you to call him by his first name. I would not be surprised if he offers you the job." It was my turn to enlighten him.

"He did mention at dinner last night that he was basically going to offer me the job." Before I could continue John interrupts again.

"Horatio took you out to dinner?" I noted a bit of shock in the tone of his voice.

"Just to a local Cuban hole in the wall. We did not leave the crime lab until after 7pm and since the hotel stopped serving dinner at 7 he insisted on the Cuban restaurant before taking me back to my hotel." I am not sure why I felt like I had to defend the dinner gathering. I continued. "From what I figured he used the situation to continue to interview me but I did the same thing. I asked as many questions as I had to answer for him." I then added. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you about him." John cleared his throat then asked.

"Rebecca, where are you trying to lead with this? Are you having a problem with Horatio?" For whatever reason John has always taken a protective stance with me from the very beginning when I started my internship with the BCA.

"No John, no, I'm not having a problem with him. I just. Well I need some insight about Horatio's personality. I am attempting to understand him better." Actually I needed validation that my impressions of him were on par. Suddenly I hear that familiar baritone voice of Horatio. I did not see him enter his office because I still had my back to the door.

"Rebecca whatever it is about my personality you need insight about you can always ask me." I startled at the sound of his voice. Barely able to understand what he just said I spoke to John.

"John, I gotta go. I'll call you on your cell after I get back to the hotel." As I moved to flip the cell phone shut thus ending the call I could hear John's disembodied voice call out to me.

"Rebecca, wait. Don't hang up." Turning to face Horatio my embarrassment was apparent by my flushed face. I had no idea how much of the conversation he overheard.

"I'm sorry. I mean no disrespect. I, um, I." With words becoming more difficult I lowered my head and stared at the cell phone I was holding. I almost dropped it when it rang. The display showed my boss's name so I quickly turned it off. Horatio moved to close the office door but instead of taking a seat behind his desk he sat down on the ugly green couch. I stayed frozen by the window across the room. He gestured to a chair across from him.

"Please have a seat." I slowly moved over to the chair and sat down. Horatio was looking down at his hands when he spoke. His voice was softer than normal.

"Rebecca, I was under the impression," He hesitated just a tad. "I was under the impression that everything was going okay." He then looked at me making eye contact. I replied.

"Everything is going okay Lieu," He brought his brows closer together as a reaction of me using his title. I recovered quickly. "Horacio. Um. Really there is nothing to be concerned about. All is going well. It's real good." Lord, I was babbling and by the look on his face I could tell he was not convinced. He went into that weird study mode of his with that head tilt and stared intently at me for several moments. I am starting to get a clue as to what Horatio's quirks meant. I am not sure if that's a good thing or not. He then took on a look of stress.

"I got to get out to the crime scene ASAP before the media turns access to it into a circus." He stood up and I did the same. "I'll drive you back to the hotel and depending how late it takes to process the scene I will call you. Okay?" For now I was off the hook but I know he just put me on the back burner for now.

"Not a problem. If there is anything I can do to help please let me know." Horatio then opened the office door and waited for me to exit it.

"Thank you Rebecca. If I can think of any capacity in which you can work I will let you know." I then walked though the doorway out into the hall. We made our way down to the garage and walked to the Hummer. Horatio drove me to my hotel but before I got out of the Hummer he informed me.

"If you don't hear from me later I will pick you up tomorrow morning at 8am. Okay?" I nod my head.

"Understood." I replied. Horatio made eye contact with me then added.

"Our conversation will be continued either later or tomorrow morning. Understand?" I kept my gaze locked with his. I did not want him to think something was wrong.

"I understand but there really is nothing to be concerned about Horacio." He adds.

"Let me make the decision on that." I reached for the door handle to open it.

"Okay. Um. Good luck with the crime scene." I then exited the Hummer, closed the door and walked into the hotel. I can't believe I said something that stupid. I shook my head in embarrassment as I made my way to the elevators. I guess he rattled me more than I realized.

The first thing I did after I got back to my room was to call John. He wasn't too happy with me for not calling him back right away. I gave him my apologies and groveled like a good subordinate to his good nature. Like always he forgives me fairly quickly and like his usual style he got right to the point.

"So are you gonna clue me in about your concerns in reference to Horatio or are you just going to talk to me about how wonderful Miami is?" Got to love that about John. He does not beat around the bush.

"Okay John, we'll talk about Horacio. But just to let you know I am not having any problems with him. He's very different than anyone I have ever worked with or for. I mean, well, Um." I took a few moments to gather my thoughts. I really was having a hard time articulating what I wanted to ask him. "Everyone I worked with speaks so highly of him. It's almost like the team worships him. I also can tell that Lieutenant Caine highly respects his team. There is nothing he probably won't do for them." I took a breath before I continued. "I just wonder if I am ever going to be able live up to his expectations. All the members of his team I worked with are highly intelligent, very good at their jobs and some are even experts in their field. Here I am, going to be a fresh graduate with little experience. I am not an expert in anything. Gosh John, it is going to take me a long while to even be up to speed with what these people do here. Its so damn intimidating." I stopped talking so John said.

"Rebecca, I spoke with Horatio yesterday afternoon. He called me and wanted to talk more about you. I don't need to get into the particulars but I will say that he was satisfied with the conversation. Besides you pretty much kicked ass with the Computer Forensics program. That will be your expertise and he knows that. Believe me he will utilize your skills" John continued. "Horatio understands that you will need time to train and learn. He does not expect you to become a CSI overnight. He is a very reasonable man." Things started to click. The dinner conversation, him stating that he was probably going to offer me the job, his concern about how I was feeling this morning, it all began to tie together.

"I appreciate you letting me know this John. I think I understand what's going on a lot better now." I smile feeling a lot better about why I would be hired into such a highly trained, knowledgeable, successful team. "I think I understand Horacio but there are times that he, well. Um. He has that intensity that can be overwhelming at times. Men just normally don't have that empathic ability he displays way too well. I admit at times it makes me feel uncomfortable." I can hear John chuckling.

"Come on, I know you can stand up to him. Don't tell me your scared of him." I clucked my tongue.

"No, I am certainly not afraid of the Lieutenant. I am not used to how he can read me so well when he has only known me for a short while. When he goes into what I call 'intense mode' I do not back down. I have to admit when he gets like that it almost like it sets a fire up under me." I sigh. This man is so complex. "Sometimes his style of communication is very personal but I also noticed that seems the norm down here." John added for my benefit.

"Well Rebecca I figured you might have a bit of a problem with his communication style. I also know that you will get use to it. You will be just fine working for him and from what I heard the team seems to like you as well." It became apparent within the first day that I would have to relax my anal ways of how I believe people should behave and speak in the work environment.

"Thanks John for talking to me about this. I just needed some good feedback." John's voice then got serious.

"You think that you'll take the job?" It did not surprise me that he asked me this.

"You know, I am not so sure yet but I will tell you that I am leaning towards accepting the position. I know it will be a challenge and as you know, I love a challenge." John then told me.

"Well I suspect that you will end up taking the job. I am glad that things are going so well for you down there. I knew that contacting Horatio was not a mistake and I had a feeling that he was able to help out. Anyway, I better get going. I'll see you on Monday." I smile.

"Thanks John. You take care," I then disconnected the call.

It was getting late. By now it was approaching 6pm but I still took time to sit back and digest John's and my conversation. I think I understood Horatio better but I know that he would probably throw in a wrench easily putting me out of sorts. By now I knew he was real good at doing that. I also knew that I respected him and that is an important aspect.

In the attempt to relax I turned on the TV. The local news was playing so I decided to see what was happening in the land of Miami. On the screen a news reporter called Erica Sikes attempted to give all the juicy details about a celebrity's apparent sudden death. It would seem that Bobbi Leah Jones died in her hotel room at the Hard Rock Hotel. The woman was not even 40 years old. I really was not paying it much mind but when I saw that familiar red head along with Delko my attention was glued to the TV.

"Lieutenant Caine? Can you please give us any information about Bobbi Leah Jones's death?" Erica Sikes asked him. I could tell Horatio was attempting to escape to the Hummer without comment but the reporter made it real hard for him. Finally he stopped walking while still holding his field kit and faced the reporter.

"I cannot comment on this case at this time." He had that intense don't screw with me look. Horatio resumed walking as more reporters rushed him. They backed off when it became apparent that he would say no more. Wow, so this was the high profile case he was called in to work. I knew then that I would not hear from him until tomorrow morning. Since it was getting late I decided to order some food from room service and change into more comfortable clothing. I am sure the CSI's of Miami Dade were going to have a long night. Turning off the TV I decided to catch up on some reading. Wonder what tomorrow will have in store for me at the Miami Dade crime lab?


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters of CSI: Miami only the original characters Rebecca Castillo and others that may be introduced later in the story. I make no money from this weird hobby and am poor full time student so don't sue.

I apologize how long it took for me to get this chapter uploaded. I had a lot of demands on my time because of classes and I went out of town two weekends in a row. This chapter is very long but I am coming close to wrapping up this story line. Hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Four: The Job Offer

As predicted Horatio did not call me back so I assumed I would meet him down in the lobby at 8am. I was able to rise early due to the sufficient amount of sleep I received the night before. Bright eyed and bushy tailed I went down to the hotel restaurant and had my usual breakfast of bagel with coffee. Not knowing what to expect I dressed in kakis pants with a cotton chartreuse blouse both were freshly starched and ironed. I decided on my black ankle boots because they are more practical than what I would normally wear with the light pants. The boots were sturdy and very comfortable. They also looked good.

I spent my breakfast in a leisurely fashion because I had time to kill. I read the local newspaper, the Miami Herald, while I ate and drank my coffee. Bobbi Leah Jones's death was the headline on the front page. The article did not give me any clue as to what happened to this woman. At 8am I then made my way out to the lobby. Horatio had his back to me. He was wearing a dark navy blue suit. I began to sweat just looking at the dark suit he wore. After I walked up to him I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Good Morning Lieutenant." He turned to face me with a hard look on his face. With the dark suit he wore the shirt he sported was royal blue. His eyes were puffy and a bit red but still radiated that brilliant blue. My guess is even when this man is 90 years old his eyes would still be that bright blue. I guessed he did not get much sleep last night he really looked tired. He also got straight to the point.

"Rebecca I need to get you to Human Resources when we get to Headquarters. There is a development in the case in which I need your help." He sighed while he changed his expression into a softer one. I stood there staring at him. "That is if you are prepared to accept my offer of employment today." I looked down a moment because I was taken back.

"Horacio," I remembered to use his first name this time. "Can you share with me what the urgency is of getting me hired so quickly? You do understand I have to finish this semester to graduate." Horatio nodded his head affirming what I said.

"I understand that you will need to go back to Minnesota and finish your courses. The hiring process needs to be started today so I can involve you in the current case. Without the hire I cannot have you involved." Not totally understanding the urgency I still was confused. After all I could just be sent home at this point.

"Is there any way you can elaborate with what you need my help with?" I did a lot of thinking last night and pretty much made up my decision to take the job. The opportunity was too attractive to pass up.

"There was a laptop found at the scene yesterday and I understand you are verse with the new software involving computer forensics." He tilted his head and locked his gaze with mine. I learned this meant Horatio was getting serious real fast. "I spoke with John last night and he updated me with what applications you are most familiar with. Unfortunately the computer experts on my team have yet to be trained to use them." I could not imagine, with how advanced I felt the Miami Dade crime lab was, that they were not up on what was going to be needed to process the laptop.

"Of course I am willing to help however I can. If you need to start the hiring process in order to gain my help that's fine by me." Horatio gave me a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that Rebecca. Lets get going." I stopped in mid stride.

"I need to go back up to my room and get my laptop. It has loaded on it the applications I use. I also want to grab some reference manuals." He nodded his head.

"I'll wait for you in the Hummer." Horatio then began to walk out of the lobby as I made my way back to the elevators.

After I retrieved my laptop with reference manuals I headed back outside the hotel to the Hummer. Horatio was on the phone as I walked up to the Hummer. I opened the door, set my laptop case on the floor and hauled myself up into the cab. As I reached over to close the door Horatio ended his call. He had the Hummer engine idling so the cab was comfortable. He turned to me, made that intense eye contract of his, and asked me.

"You do remember that we need to finish the conversation from yesterday?" I sigh as I remembered.

"Yes I do. I just want to say that I'm sorry if I disrespected you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Rebecca there was no disrespect. I just need to know that everything is okay between us." I was not exactly sure what he meant by that. My face probably conveyed my confusion so he continued. "I know the job offer is very sudden and I apologize for that," He pauses as per the norm for him. "I hope you don't feel pressure to take the position and I hope you are comfortable enough to work with me." I noticed he said with me instead of for me. For some reason I thought that was a little bit strange. After all he heads the crime lab and I would be working for him.

"I don't know how much of the conversation you heard between John and myself. I just wanted some more insight about you." I dropped eye contact and looked down at my hands. That intense gaze of his was too much for me. "I just wanted to understand you better and John helped me with that." Horatio added.

"You know that you can talk to me about anything?" I sighed. This was the perfect example of his communication style. It comes off as sounding very personal but I have to understand that this is his way. I should not be offended by it or think he is attempting to pry into my personal life. I raised my head making eye contact with him.

"Where I am from, people don't communicate like you do in the workplace." I pressed on. "I realize I need to adjust to your style and with time I should have no problems with it or more importantly any misunderstandings." Now it was his turn to look confused so he asks me.

"Rebecca, can you please elaborate what it is about my communication style that you seem to feel you have to adjust to?" I was kind of surprised that he did not know what I meant. After all he was originally from New York. People from New York do not communicate like he does. Maybe after being in Miami for 13 years he forgot this.

"Um," I gather my thoughts of how I want to present them. "Horacio, at times some of the things you say come across as real personal. The way you use a person's name more than once in a sentence and well, um, that pausing thing you do. The way you word your sentences." I looked out the windscreen then back at him. His attention was on me and he did not move or look away. I continued. "I add it up as cultural differences, personality differences, what ever it may be, I accept it as your communication style." I smile as he tilts his head. "I am not used to your level of compassion after knowing a person for such a short period of time. It normally takes me a long while to get to know someone enough to be that comfortable with him or her." I add. "Besides if I am anything, I am adaptable." It was my hope that he understood what I was conveying. Horatio nodded his head in understanding.

"Okay, Rebecca, I understand." I had to let him know.

"Please don't attempt to change just to make me feel more comfortable. I don't feel that would be appropriate and it is I that will adjust okay?" Horatio then sat forward and put on his seatbelt.

"Not to worry Rebecca, I am glad you can accept who I am." And that was the meat in the nutshell. I did accept him for who he was. Even with his strange quirks and way of communicating.

"I do accept the way you are Horacio, its actually refreshing to know someone of your caliber." Maybe I was actually adapting to his communication style and using it. The thought made me laugh inside. As Horatio pulled out of the parking spot I put my seatbelt on.

We got to headquarters fairly quickly. Even with the traffic the way it was. One had to wonder if anyone used public transportation in Miami. Lots of traffic, too much traffic is how I saw it. Horatio drove in it like a true local. He escorts me to Human Resources right away. I was concerned about how they were going to swing the background investigation part of the hiring process. Without it would I compromise the case by working it without the BI? It was relayed to me that the BCA forwarded the BI done on me when I applied for them. Miami Dade was still going to conduct their own BI, but for now, because of Horatio needing my help with the Bobbi Leah Jones case, they worked around it. HR made sure it was all legal crossing their T's and dotting their I's. The pay offered was impressive for Miami. I didn't know if Horatio had anything to do with that but I felt that he probably had his hand in it. Now I can actually have medical insurance instead of having to use the VA medical center. I have not had medical insurance since 2001. The benefits were good and the pay was fantastic not to mention that I will be working for one of the most advanced labs in the country. It wasn't the BCA but close enough for me. After all the paperwork and HR needs conducted I was now a paid employee and the job interview was over. After I was done with HR I went down to meet Horatio in his office. He was not in there.

With my new ID badge displayed I was able to go wherever I wanted. No one stopped to question me. I finally found Horatio in the layout room with Calleigh and Eric. I quietly entered so not to disturb their conversation. Calleigh was the first to notice me so she looked my way and smiled. After Eric finished his sentence Calleigh spoke.

"Hey Rebecca, welcome to the team, congratulations with getting the job." Eric also looked over at me and said.

"Yea, welcome aboard Rebecca." I smiled at them both while I shifted my weight to my other foot.

"Thanks I appreciate that. I still have to go back to Minnesota and graduate first before this actually becomes permanent but I will be back." Horatio all business as usual states to Calleigh and Eric.

"We'll continue this discussion after I get Rebecca set up okay?" Eric nods his head in acknowledgement and Calleigh responds with.

"Sure thing handsome." Horatio walks over to the door and holds it open for me. I follow him out. While walking over to another lab he asked me.

"Did everything go okay with HR?" I answered him with.

"That it did. I have to admit though the pay was not what I expected. I did do my research after all." He stopped walking and looked at me from the side.

"Is there a problem with the pay?" he tilted his head. "I thought it was a very reasonable amount." I had a feeling he was going to say more but he stopped. So he did have involvement with my salary.

"Oh no, there is no problem with the amount Horatio. Lets just say I was pleasantly surprised okay?" He chuckled softly.

"I'm glad to hear that Rebecca. Last minuet negotiations never go smoothly." And that was all he was going to say about that.

Horatio set me up in the computer lab to work on the laptop that was found at the Bobbi Leah Jones scene. I set up my laptop but was not allowed onto the Miami Dade network servers. However, I was allowed to get my system onto the Internet using my WIFI (wireless internet access card). I did not have a log in or password to gain access to the Miami Dade network servers set up for me yet so in that respect I was dead in the water. Horatio tells me.

"I arranged to get you a log in account but it will take about an hour for it to activate."

He gives me my log in ID along with the generic password to get me set up. I wondered how deep Horatio's knowledge was with network concepts. I had a feeling he knew more that I gave him credit for. In the future I will not assume that this man does not hold any knowledge in any subject. I am sure my speedy new hire status was making some people insane with having to hurry up with the administration aspects. Also with Lieutenant Caine's insistence that things be done right away probably ruffled some feathers. Because I was using the laptop I brought with me from the BCA, I went over with Horatio what I can and what I cannot do with it. I did not want to compromise the case because I used avenues that were not approved by the Miami Dade crime lab.

Horatio logged into the terminal using his account so I could at least get a feel for what was loaded on the machine and how to navigate the network. He took some time to show me the bare bones of the Miami Dade crime lab network along with what software was loaded on the system. I have to admit I was impressed with his knowledge of computers, software and networks. My boss John does not hold that level of knowledge with computers but he is very knowledgeable running his division. It continues to amaze me how versatile Horatio is. While Horatio gave me a tour of the network and system terminal I took notes. I had him log off and attempted to log in using the newly created ID and password. It did not work so Horatio pulls out his cell phone and calls the IT security department.

"Yea, this is Lieutenant Caine, I need Rebecca Castillo's log in activated now." I hear a small voice from the IT security department talk to him. A few minutes pass and the voice said something to Horatio. He nodded his head in my direction as he clicked his phone closed so I attempt to log in again.

Login ID: castillo69

Password: ga1J64lc8M! Then the network asks me to change the password.

New Password:

Verify Password:

The system displays on the screen.

"Your password has been changed and will expire in 30 days." I watch the screen display as the terminal attaches to the servers through the network; a blur of information flashes across the screen. Once the desktop was displayed I bring up the file manager so I can see what servers I have access to and what is on the harddrive. Horatio watched over my shoulder as I brought up the file manager and he stated.

"You have access to all the servers and should not be blocked from any of them." I had to ask him the question just because I did not believe there were 68 other Castillo's working in the crime lab.

"Um. I got to ask you something about my log in." Horatio looked at me as I continued. "Do you happen to know the naming scheme they use to create the ID's?" It surprised me that he looked confused. I don't think he understood my question so I try to clarify. "I don't think there are 68 other Castillo's that work here." He then smiled that smile without teeth as understanding dawned on him.

"Well Rebecca, I don't know the logic of how the Network Administrators create the ID's," he pauses. "The supervisor in that division has a strange sense of humor." He chuckles lightly. "He probably created your ID as castillo69 as payback to my order of urgency with needing your ID created so quickly. I'm sorry I did not notice what it was." I wanted to laugh out loud but I attempted to stifle it making it sound like I snorted.

"I was just wondering. It's really not a problem, just kind of embarrassing I guess." I hope I never piss off that supervisor. From the experience I had from being a Network Administrator myself I know how much power they truly hold. "The ID is fine, I just wanted to know the reason for the choice of it." He nodded his head then told me.

"If there is anything else you need please let me know. I'll be on my cell." I reply.

"Thanks Racio, I think I have enough to get started." My mind was already absorbed in the work that will have to be done. He then left the lab leaving me to my work.

The first thing I did was clone the original harddrive on the laptop. Bit by bit, platter by platter the exact image was replicated onto a harddrive that was the same brand and size as the original. I then arranged for the original laptop to be secured in the evidence locker so I can work on the clone. If I damage the clone with my work I can always reproduce another clone but I can't fix the original.

After setting up the clone harddrive in a workable system I began to run applications that would gather data of where the owner was on the Internet. The application also preserved the original time stamps (very important) and any email messages received and sent even if they were deleted. After that data was retrieved I wanted to run a newer application that enables me to do special specific searches of the harddrive data. I wanted to narrow the search to specific words and phrases. I noticed on the network and on the terminal did not have the application I needed so I looked for any application that was similar to it. Unfortunately I could not find one that was remotely useful for what I needed it to do. Now I knew why Lieutenant Caine broke hiring records to get me involved in this case. Picking up the landline phone in the lab I dialed Horatio's cell number.

"Horatio." He answered. I start with.

"This is Rebecca. I need to use an application that you don't have on your network or loaded on the terminal. However I do have it loaded on my laptop from the BCA. Is there anyway I can utilize my application without compromising the evidence?" I hear his baritone voice tell me.

"I'll be right there." He disconnected the call.

Horatio walked into the lab as I was kneeling underneath the workbench hooking up network cable from the BCA laptop to the wall jack. It was a good thing I did not travel without my network card. Horatio cleared his throat as he had a clear view of my rear end. I looked over my shoulder and noticed him waiting for me to get out from under the workbench. I plugged in the network cable on the wall jack and took note of the label the jack had. As I stood back up I dusted off my knees and told him.

"I hooked up my laptop into your network. I am thinking that I could piggyback my system into the terminal here and use the terminal to actually run the application I need that is on the BCA laptop." Horatio stared at the set up I created while thinking. He gently brushed his thumb against his lower lip. His blue eyes were intense betraying his concentration. I added more information. "I noticed the terminal had PC Anywhere loaded on it. I can use that application to bring up the BCA laptop environment on the lab terminal. That way I can run my application on the terminal to do the work I need. What do you think?" Horatio continued to stare at the computers and caress that lower lip of his with his thumb. Dropping his hand he then bent over and looked underneath the workbench where I had the network cable hooked up. Standing up he informed me.

"Rebecca," The look on his face did not favor my idea. "I cannot have the BCA laptop on the network." Damn, I need to bypass the crime lab network. He locked his gaze with mine as I suddenly got another idea. I got kind of excited by my idea so I spoke rather quickly with my hands gesturing wildly. I did not even give him a chance to finish his thought.

"I know what I can do. Instead I will use WIFI, this will open up my laptop for the terminal. I can then use PC Anywhere to gain access to the BCA laptop so I can run my application on the terminal. Then I don't need the network." I moved forward to disconnect my network card and put back in my WIFI card but Horatio grabbed my upper arm stopping me. Startled that he actually grabbed me I quickly looked up at him.

"Rebecca," He let go of me when looked up at him. The look on my face probably registered shock. "Rebecca, I need you to slow down. Give me a chance to analyze what you are proposing." It was then a man wearing a polo shirt with jeans walked into the lab.

"Excuse me," He interrupted. "I got an unauthorized computer attempting to gain access into the network located in here." Horatio walked up to the BCA laptop and plucked the network cable from its network card. The man scrutinized me. I could tell he was attempting to read my badge. Horatio told him.

"Problem solved. I disconnected the unauthorized system from the network." The man looked back at Horatio.

"Can you please tell me what's going on in here and who is this?" He gestures in my direction. My laptop then goes into screen saver mode and the BCA logo began floating around on the screen. The man looked at it with confusion but snapped his attention back to Horatio when he spoke.

"Ben, this is Rebecca Castillo. She is a new member of my team, just hired this morning." Horatio then gestures to me. "Rebecca this is Ben Lennard from the IT department." I stuck out my hand to shake his but he just looked at it. I dropped my hand suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. I shifted my weight to my other foot. When I took a breath to speak Horatio beat me to it.

"Ben, we were attempting to gain access to Rebecca's laptop by use of the terminal. Can this be done without having to go though the network?" Ben really seemed to like being presented with a problem so his attitude lightened up a little bit. Ben walked over to the computers and picked up the WIFI card that was lying on the workbench. He then ejected the BCA's network card and inserted the WIFI card. Moving over to the terminal he brings up PC Anywhere and sets it up connecting it to the BCA laptop through its wireless connection. Ben looks at Horatio totally ignoring me.

"That should do it Lieutenant." Horatio had the grace to look at the floor while he said.

"Thank you Ben. We'll take it from here." Ben leaves the lab without a word or acknowledgment to me. I stood there slowly getting pissed off as I crossed my arms across my chest. My voice lowered and my speech became stilted as I said.

"Tell me Lieutenant," I paused taking a breath. I was too angry to use his first name. "Was that not the same solution I presented to you before Mr. IT came in here?" Horatio took one look at me and knew I was upset. I guess the tone in my voice gave him a clue also to my emotional state.

"Rebecca I understand that you had the solution before Ben came in here. I just needed for Ben to feel secure with what you are attempting to do here." He paused. "Rebecca, do you understand? I understand that you possess the knowledge." He paused. "The relationship between my team and the IT department can be. Um. Somewhat strained." I recognized that he was attempting to calm me down. The fact that I recognized it told me I had a better hold on my emotions. It only mattered to me that he held confidence in my ability. I can deal with Ben's treatment of me later. I lowered my arms to my side and took a deep breath.

"Thanks Horacio, I appreciate your honesty." Horatio then moved toward the door.

"I'll check back later with your progress." He then stepped out of the lab. I am sure he was glad to get out of there. It took a few more moments for me to totally calm down so I could get back to work.

It did not take me long to get into the work. As I ran the search for selected words and phrases I began work on the previous data I compiled of the emails. Apparently Bobbi Leah used the Internet to purchase all sorts of medications. I am sure her toxicology report is going to be very interesting. I also learned that apparently she was very sick with some kind of flu right before she died. She was running a high fever but instead of going in to see the doctor she communicated to him though emails. In the deleted emails that were sent from the system I found one in which the wording and written style did not match what I felt were Bobbi Leah's unique writing style. Although she signed it, I don't think she wrote or sent it. The fact that whoever took the time to make sure the email was deleted off the system clued me in that something was unusual about that email. That email was set-aside for further scrutiny. The plan was to track the ISP of where it was sent and what ISP received it. From that information I can verify who the owners were. The content of the email was in reference to requesting more prescription medicines. The time stamp on the email was two weeks before Bobbi Leah Jones died. Upon further research I found the replies to the suspicious email. They were also deleted in hopes they would not be discovered. I was able to rebuild the data almost perfectly. The application I used was awesome. Miami Dade crime lab needs to purchase this application. They really need it.

I had not even touched my search application's data yet because I was working very hard with the emails getting my reports started and information compiled. I knew it was only a matter of time Horatio would come back to the lab. I wanted to be able to at least present him with some information.

By the time Horatio did come back to the lab I had my reference manuals out and open to the appropriate pages of information I was using. There were print outs all over the workbench in organized piles and I was working on the first report, getting it ready for submission. Because I was typing on the terminal I did not look up when he walked in.

"Rebecca," He attempts to get my attention. "Update me please." I looked up quickly at him and nod my head still typing away.

"Almost done with my report. Un momento por forvor." When I am concentrating heavily I tend to swap between the two languages. Horatio walked over to the workbench and picked up one of my reference manuals. It was the one that belonged to the new software I used to compile data. He started to read through the manual taking special interest in my written notes and post it's I had pasted all through out the manual. I typed up quickly the last of my thoughts and saved the document. After I finished I printed out a copy for him. I told him as I went over to the printer to retrieve the report.

"This first report will include my findings with the examination of the emails. All sent, received and deleted email was checked." I handed him the report as I continued. "I found deleted email that were sent with Bobbi Leah's signature but were not set by her. I also found replies to this email and you will find the information interesting." I could tell Horatio was reading the part about the deleted emails because he has a look of intense concentration. I continued. "Included is the ISP information from both sender and receiver along with who the accounts belong to. I hope this helps gives you enough information to start with." Horatio then looked at me.

"Good job Rebecca." He then put the report into the folder I gave him. "Indeed this information is extremely useful." I smiled wide as I grew more excited. This was just the tip of the iceberg. I have not compiled the harddrive data yet. Getting all excited I tell him.

"I have yet to get to the data on the harddrive. I am confident I will find more useful evidence for you Raci." I subconsciously moved toward the terminal anxious to get back to work. He replied with.

"I have no doubt that you will find more on that system Rebecca." He moved toward the door. "Don't forget to take a lunch break." I looked at my watch and noticed it was 11:30am. On queue my stomach growled. I looked down at my abdomen in horror.

"Geeze. You had to wake the beast with the mention of lunch." Horatio chuckled.

"Now is a good time to take that break Rebecca." I was already tapping away on the keyboard setting up the next automated sequence. That way I can leave the terminal working while I went to the break room to grab something to eat. I planned to eat from the wheel of death but I was not going to tell Horatio that. I mumbled to him while looking at the monitor.

"I'll take a break right after I set this up." I did not hear him leave the lab.

After I set up my automated sequence I locked down the terminal and stepped out of the lab. I took a few moments to remember which way it was to the break room. As I walked down the hall I saw Calleigh walking in my direction.

"Rebecca, I was just coming to get you. Eric just got back with Chinese and there is more than enough to share." I was elated that I would be eating real food.

"Thanks Calleigh, you just saved me from having to eat from the wheel of death." She giggles as we both head toward the break room.

"Oh we can't have you eating from the wheel of death on your first day as an Miami Dade crime lab employee." My stomach growled loudly answering her.

In the break room several people were setting up to serve themselves Chinese food. I joined in on the fun helping myself to several of the contents in Chinese containers. Several of the other CSI's congratulated me on getting hired. I took a seat and began eating the delicious Chinese food. Detective Frank Tripp took a seat next to me.

"When are you actually going to move down here?" He looked at me as I ate my General Tao chicken.

"I am thinking early June. There is a lot I have to get done in Minnesota." I smile. "Like graduate and get the degree." After taking a drink of his soda Frank asked me.

"You have any idea where you would want to live?" I grimace thinking about that particular problem.

"I think that might be a tough one for me. I need to find a place that will lease for at least six months to cover the probation period. You know, in case I don't make the probation period." Frank interrupted.

"You don't have to worry about the probation. You'll make it though. Horatio wouldn't have hired you if he did not think you could do the job." I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

"Thanks Frank, I appreciate the vote of confidence but you never know what could happen." I continue. "I also have to find a place that will accepts pets. I want to bring my parrots down here. I don't think I could go six months without them." Frank looked at me somewhat confused.

"You have parrots? Parrots in Minnesota?" I laughed lightly.

"Yea Frank, I have two parrots. People in Minnesota do own parrots. Not all of us have Eskimo dogs as pets." Ryan overheard our conversation and chimed in asking Frank.

"Why would you think that no one would have parrots up in Minnesota?" Frank gets a disgusted look on his face.

"It's not like the climate up there is friendly for a tropical exotic pet smartass." Ryan shakes his head.

"I bet people in Canada own parrots too." Oh Lord, here we go again. Frank getting his feathers ruffled. Sorry about the reference to birds. I try to defuse the argument.

"Take it easy Ryan, give Frank a break you would not believe how little people know about parrots. I have spent a lot of time educating people about them." Ryan nodded his head smiling.

"I guess your right Rebecca cuz Frank doesn't know shit about parrots." I think that is the first time I ever heard Ryan swear. Frank busted out laughing.

"Your right about that Wolf." I laughed too. Before I could ask Ryan what he knew about parrots Frank interjected.

"Back to what I was gonna tell ya about finding a place to live." My attention went back to Frank.

"You got information on where I can rent that would allow my birds?" Frank informed me.

"My aunt has a condo in Hialeah that is not being used. She went back to Texas and does not plan on returning soon. She wants to lease out the place but would prefer just to have someone live in it. She left the place furnished." He added. "After your done here I can take you out there and let you look at it." How interesting. A furnished condo that someone wants to rent out was attractive. This could be a lucky break for me if it all works out but I have no idea where Hialeah is and the price of the rent is going to probably kill me.

"And you think your Aunt would not mind my birds?" I did not have the nerve to ask about the price of rent yet.

"I don't think she'd mind. I can always ask her though. To be honest she has been on my ass about helping her find someone to live in it for her. So you would be kinda doin' me a favor as well." This is sounding too good to be true so I finally ask.

"What is she asking for rent? I have to tell you that I pay mortgage on a townhouse I own in Minnesota. My plan at this point is to keep my house incase I end up moving back." Frank frowned.

"So you plan on maintaining two households?" The thought made my head spin.

"I guess I am not ready to part with my home in Minnesota yet. Its not like the housing market is doing well anyway." I did not want to think of the logistics of having to sell my home in Minnesota to buy one in Miami. Not yet anyway. Frank informs me.

"Last time I talked to her I think she wanted $600 a month but I think I could get her to come down on that." Wow. That was cheap. Up here in Minnesota rent is about $700 to $800 for a one-bedroom apartment in a crappy part of town. Rent is almost as much as a mortgage payment.

"You know Frank, you peaked my interest." I smile because if this works out my housing situation will be taken care of for at least the first 6 months I am down in Miami. "If I get the work done by a decent hour then I'll take you up on your offer to see the place." Horatio walked up to us. I did not even see him enter the break room.

"Frank," He gained his attention. "Are you talking about the condo in Hialeah your aunt has?" Frank nodded his head yes.

"I think Rebecca might like the place. It will be big enough for her and her birds." Horatio told Frank.

"If that does not work out let me know okay?" Calleigh walked up to us.

"Excuse me," she touches Horatio lightly on the forearm. "I need to talk to you for a moment." Frank lets him know.

"No problem Horatio. I'll let you know if it falls through." With that said Horatio stepped away to speak with Calleigh. I ask Frank.

"What time were you thinking of taking me over to the condo?" Frank was well aware of how unstable the hours of a CSI can be so he took out his notepad and wrote his cell number on it, ripped off the piece of paper and handed it to me.

"Call me when you are done with your work. Hopefully you'll be out of here before dark." He chuckles. Realizing I needed to get back to work I stand up.

"Thanks Frank, I really appreciate this." I took the piece of paper and shoved it into my pocket. "Hopefully this will work out because if it does my housing situation will be taken care of. One less thing I would have to worry about." I gesture toward the doorway of the break room. "I better get back to work." He looks at his watch.

"I guess it's that time. Call me when you're done." I nod my head.

"You bet." I then walk out of the break room and head back to the computer lab.

While walking back to the computer lab I was formulating my next move on data retrieval. I knew there were video files on the harddrive so I wanted my next step to tackle the job of extracting them and take a look at them. They did not take up a lot of harddrive space so I knew that meant there were not a lot of them on there. Curiosity got the best of me wondering what the video files did contain.

Using PC Anywhere to link the lab terminal to my laptop enabled me to dissect the video files using an application on the laptop. The first few were boring videos of Bobbi Leah doing mundane things or videos of her and her friends at parties. Her boyfriend or companion Danny Jet was a star of several of the videos as well. Then I found one video that disturbed me. The file was named "My Deep Thoughts." I opened the file and watched what appeared to be a video diary of Bobbi Leah Jones's personal thoughts. It starts out with her smiling talking to the video camera looking pretty.

"I am such in a good mood I could just dance and scream." Bobbi Leah then danced around in circles squealing. "Finally after all this time he asked me out. Danny Jet asked me out!" She then babbled on about how excited she was by this. Her excitement was almost contagious. Bobbi Leah looked so happy.

The next few entries were about her personal thoughts of her dating Danny Jet. She really liked this guy and gushed about how wonderful he was to her. I kept track of the dates in the lower right hand corner of the video. It was several months into her video diary when I started to notice a change in her. Bobbi Leah confesses while looking doped up on camera.

"Hi." She stares into the camera. "I am feeling soooo good tonight. For once I can't feel the pain." Even though her speech was understandable it was slightly slurred. "Danny taught me how to stop the pain. I can't believe its this easy." She wobbles a bit adjusting so she is still in the frame while giggling. "Danny is gonna feel so good tonight." She let us know. The picture then goes to black before the next segment begins.

The next few entries were even more disturbing. I wondered what her tox report is going to come back with. I had the feeling that it was going to have all sorts of interesting chemicals in it. As I continued to watch the video entries I started to feel real bad for Bobbi Leah. She actually starts out as a naïve girl but as I continued to watch it would seem this Danny Jet turned her into something ugly by corrupting her. She totally let this guy do anything he wanted with her. Her confessions started making me sick as I watched her deteriorate more and more. I brought my hand up to my throat in shock as I watched her talk about how she wanted to have Danny's baby and that she would do anything for him. I felt totally involved in this woman's life through watching the video diary.

So involved in watching the video I did not hear Horatio enter the lab. He said my name but I did not hear him. Moving closer to me he said my name again and when I did finally look at him I was surprised how close to me he was standing.

"Are you okay?" He asked me in a low voice. Swallowing became hard and my mouth was dry due to how upset I was. I reached for the keyboard and stopped the video from continuing to run. Bobbi Leah's pale face froze on the monitor.

"I, um," I needed a moment to get myself together and my voice sounded foreign to me. "Do me a favor and watch this video. Um. I'll be right back." I needed some space and suddenly I needed privacy. I started up the video from the beginning and then walked out of the lab. I could feel Horatio's eyes following me as I walked out to go to the restroom.

Once inside the restroom I washed my face. Using cold water I hoped this would help me get myself in order. Taking several deep breaths I realized that in this job I am going to need to develop a thicker skin. Deeply troubled by Bobbi Leah's video diary I knew I needed to remain objective so I can do my job. The deep breathing helped, as did my inner dialog telling myself to get a grip. After several more minuets I felt in control enough to go back to the lab.

I walked back into the lab. Horatio looked at me intensely while slightly tilting his head.

"Rebecca." He asks me. "Are you okay?" I kept eye contact with him feeling a bit stronger.

"Better." I reply. I attempted to school my features more seriously as I continued to look at him. "Did you watch the video diary?" I inquired. He shifted his footing, almost swaying, and the look on his face was of concern.

"Rebecca." His eyes flicked to the monitor then back to me. "This is what I want you to do. Burn me a copy of the video and I will take care of the contents on it okay?" I dropped my gaze and stood there for a moment before replying.

"I, um, appreciate what you are trying to do Raci, but I can, I can continue with examining the video." I raise my gaze to meet his and I noticed that he did not look convinced. "I should finish this myself. I really have to finish this myself." Once again Horatio tilts his head and looks intensely at me. I continued. "I have to get through this. You understand?" I took a small step toward the terminal hoping he would take the hint to move away from it and let me resume working. Instead he stood solid not moving an inch.

"I do understand." Horatio responded. "Sometimes a person needs to know when they have had enough. There is no shame with realizing this." Even though I am as green as a new CSI can be I know that most criminalists do posses a weakness with dealing with a type of evidence. A co-worker back at the BCA hated to deal with anything involving the nose. For some reason everything about the nose really grossed him out. So far I was able to handle most aspects of my job but then again I am still very inexperienced. Understanding what Horatio was trying to tell me I did not believe this advice needed to be taken in reference to the Bobbi Leah video diary. I share with Horatio.

"I know that I am very new and I admit the video upsets me but I feel strongly that I need to finish what I started. I will learn to cope with dealing with its content okay?" Horatio took a step back from the terminal nodding his head in approval.

"Okay Rebecca," He kept eye contact with me. "Your tenacity is admirable but I don't expect you to present as a seasoned criminalist. If you need help with the video don't hesitate to ask okay?" I give him a small smile.

"I promise I will let you know if I can't handle it." I move closer to the terminal. "Thank you." I tell him. Horatio begins moving toward the lab doorway.

"I'll check on your progress later." I nod my head acknowledging him. He then walks out the door.

I continued to examine the video diary. The contents were indeed disturbing but I kept reminding myself that what I am doing is speaking for the victim. People who cannot speak for themselves need someone to speak for them. This concept is what got me into forensics in the first place. I received great satisfaction from helping someone who was unable to help themselves. Being a voice for the victim is what I feel is the most important part of what I do. Bobbi Leah Jones needed someone to speak for her because the events surrounding her death were suspicious. To be able to do my job effectively was important so I had to put my emotions on the back burner to be able to accomplish this.

The report was completed a couple hours later. It was my suggestion from the evidence of the video diary that Bobbi Leah Jones had chemical addiction issues. I also stated that Bobbi Leah admitted to the stop of using protection so she could get pregnant. She wanted to have Danny Jet's baby very badly. The date on that admission was a couple of months back so it was possible that she could have been pregnant at the time of her death. Just as I was getting printed report together Horatio entered the lab.

"Do you have anything for me Rebecca?" He asked me. I hand him the folder containing the report.

"Right here Lieutenant." He took the folder from me while keeping eye contact. For once he did not comment on my lack of using his first name.

"Lets see what you got here." Horatio opened the folder and commenced to read my report findings. So intent was his reading of it I began to squirm. Did I put too much into the report? Maybe it was not written correctly. I shifted my weight while looking around the lab waiting for Horatio to comment. Finally as I was growing more uncomfortable he looked up from reading the report.

"Good job Rebecca," He closed the file. "The suggestion to have Bobbi Leah tested for possible pregnancy was already conducted." I raised an eyebrow wondering at this information. Maybe running pregnancy tests for female decedents was standard procedure here. "The test came back negative. However Alexx did find evidence of an abortion." I looked down. I could not keep eye contact with him after hearing that.

"Oh," I replied. "Um, I was under the impression that Bobbi Leah wanted to have a baby very badly." I told him. Thinking back my assessment of the video diary I noticed that one entry she was very upbeat and happy and the next day Bobbi Leigh was downright depressed so much that the two video entries were like night and day. I hold out my hand for the folder Horatio was holding. He hands it to me. I find my write up about what I felt was a significant mood change and showed it to him.

"At these entries I noticed that her mood was drastically different the next day." Standing right next to Horatio I pointed out the entry I was talking about. "This makes me wonder if the abortion took place during this time. I also find it odd that she did not talk about being pregnant or having the abortion." I looked at Horatio thinking hard. A thought occurred to me. What if entries were deleted out? Who would be savvy enough to be able to delete entries and change the dates on the video? I suddenly grew serious.

"Horacio." I said in a soft voice. This got his attention right away and he looked right at me.

"What is it Rebecca?" I could see wheels turning inside his head. His blue eyes radiated intelligence. Locking my gaze with his I explain.

"What do you think about the possibility of someone tampering with the video diary?" Horatio tilts his head thinking as I continue.

"Something is not right between those two video entries. My gut tells me something is wrong with the video." I move away from him to get closer to the terminal so I could queue up the first entry. Horatio moves in unison with me to also get closer to the terminal. He was standing right behind me a little too close for my comfort.

"Start the video a few days before the discrepancy please." He ordered. My hands danced across the keyboard as I did what he asked. He was able to look over my shoulder at the monitor because of our height differences. However him standing so close behind me caused me to subconsciously move to the right to create more distance between us. He looked right at me when I moved away but did not comment. His attention went right back to the monitor.

Suddenly I forgot all about my discomfort in reference to Horatio when I saw it. If you were not looking directly at the monitor you would of missed it. As I stared at the monitor I saw a slight flash of black in the middle of Bobbi Leah's sentence. I moved back in front of the monitor and keyed back up the sequence. If one were not looking for something nothing would have been noticed. It occurred during one of the video entries not between dates.

"Did you see that?" I asked Horatio.

"I did." He replied softly as I replayed the entry.

"There." I told him as I quickly froze the video. "You see that black flash? I think something has been deleted or changed at that spot." I moved to my right again so he could move in closer to the monitor and inspect what I had displayed on it.

"I do believe you are correct." His concentration was betrayed by the tic sound heard from one sucking their teeth. "Burn me a copy of this video file and I will get it to AV for analysis." What? Why was my work being taken away from me? I could just as easily complete what he needs done with the file. Suddenly I was upset. Horatio watched my reaction very closely. He was too close in my opinion.

"Lieutenant Caine." My voice dropped low because I was angry and I needed to keep control. "Why can I not finish the work with this video?" My hand gestured outward and I almost touched him. He looked down at my hand, probably wondering what I was going to do with it. I quickly dropped it to my side and sighed. I really overstepped my bounds by questioning his authority. Horatio shifted his right foot behind him and changed his position so that he was standing sideways to me.

"Rebecca." He looked sideways at me. "AV has the equipment needed to break down the video diary. They need to work this for me now." I was a little bit surprised he did not reprimand me for challenging him. I took a step back increasing the distance between us more.

"I'm sorry I meant no disrespect. Of course you would want the AV department to work this." I looked at my hands. They seemed more interesting suddenly.

"Rebecca." He told me. "You have done a lot today. Let some of the other team members help out okay?" I looked up at him.

"I feel that I should probably finish what I started here but I understand that you probably want the AV department to analyze the video. I overstepped my bounds. I should not challenge how you want the job done. I'm sorry." I quickly moved over to the terminal and proceeded to create a copy of the video diary on a CD for him. I hand him the burned copy of the video diary. Horatio gave me a small smile that showed no teeth. I can't help but think that smile looked like a smirk.

"You did an excellent job today Rebecca there is no need to apologize okay?" He put the CD in with the folder that contained my report. "We will continue tomorrow with the rest of the computer okay?" I nodded my head in agreement. "Why don't you secure the rest of your work then wait for me in my office." I moved toward the workbench to begin putting things away.

"Sure Horacio," I turned to look at him. "Thank you, I appreciate all that you done for me today." He nodded his head then walked out of the computer lab.

After I gathered up my papers, put away my laptop and logged off the terminal. I made sure that all was secure before I left the computer lab. I worked my way over to Horatio's office and started climbing up the stairway. I was suddenly exhausted because it has been an eventful day. I carried my laptop case with me up those stairs and it seemed heavier than normal. Looking up into the glass cage that I called his office I noticed that he was not in there. After I entered his office I left the door open and took a seat on the ugly green couch.

It was only several minuets later that Horatio entered his office. He set some files on his desk then moved to take a seat across from me instead of taking a seat behind his desk.

"With the current evidence we have on the Bobbi Leah case we're close to closing it." I looked at him with surprise.

"This quickly?" I responded then smiled slowly. "You really have one kick ass team." Horatio chuckled at my description of his team. He actually showed teeth when he smiled.

"One of which you are now part of Rebecca." Continuing he added. "AV is working up the video diary and I believe this information might be a huge help to us." He walked over to his desk and retrieved what looked like plane tickets. He walked back over to me and handed them to me. "I extended your stay here in Miami until Sunday evening. This will give you a couple of days to enjoy our city and get a feel for Miami." I took the ticket from him and put it in my laptop case.

"That's right, I was suppose to fly out tonight." I wonder how he swung an extension with my hotel bill and plane ticket? Maybe it's best not to wonder about things and let it go.

"I will drive you to the airport Sunday evening okay?" He let me know. Horatio then adds. "What do you think you are going to do with your two days?" If I could get as much of the scouting done before I left I probably would only need to come down one more time before I moved.

"I think I will take Frank up on his offer to show me his aunt's place. It's still early enough where this could be done." I thought for a moment. I probably should explore Miami and get to know my way around the city. I just realized I did not have a car. "After that's taken care of I probably will just relax enjoy some of the weather." I was not confident enough to use public transportation.

"Call me if you need anything." He stood up to move behind his desk. "If you want to explore any part of the city just let me know okay?" I stood up and bent over to pick up my laptop case.

"I look forward to working here on a permanent basis Lieutenant Caine, I mean Horacio." I smiled at my mistake with calling him by his title.

"Rebecca," he paused "We all look forward to your becoming an addition to this team." I held out my hand so I could shake his. He responded by taking my hand in his and shaking it. He held it for a moment before he released my hand.

"I'll keep in touch with my progress of getting down here." He smiled "In fact I have quite the list of people I need to keep in contact with." Horatio adds.

"Don't forget to call me if you need anything before Sunday evening okay?" I nod my head in agreement.

"You bet Horatio and thank you for everything." I walked out of his office with a huge smile on my face and made my way to the break room with a spring in my step. I was no longer feeling exhausted.

After I walked into to the break room I pulled out my cell and piece of paper Frank gave me and dialed his number.

"Tripp" He answered. He probably did not recognize my cell number.

"Frank, its Rebecca." His tone changed once he knew who the caller was.

"Hi Rebecca did Horatio cut you loose yet?" That is such a strange reference but funny.

"Yep he did. Are you still up for showing me your aunt's place?" I hear clicking of a keyboard in the background.

"I'm almost done here. Where should I pick you up?" I let him know.

"I'm in the break room at headquarters. Can you meet me here?" Papers shuffling could now be heard.

"Don't eat from the wheel of death we'll stop at my favorite Tex Mex joint for burgers okay?" Um. I don't think I ate a hamburger in a long while. My mouth watered at the thought.

"Sure thing Frank. Burger sounds great. I'll see you when you get here." I took out one of my reference manuals and commenced to read while I waited for Frank.


End file.
